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by Miyazaki A2
Summary: Sequal to Breathing series. What will Naruto think when he comes home to find his precious Sakura in love with Bushy-Brow? Will he give up on love, fight back against Lee, or find someone new? NaruHina HinaNaru. If you don't like it, please don't review.
1. Homecoming King

**_(A/N) Hello, loves. I've decided to continue my little Breathing project, but from a new point of view. Naruto's. After all, he has to come home sometime, and for all he knows, Sakura-chan is still free as a bird. chuckle So he'll definitely have a reaction. I want to see it. _**

**_Oh. And Hinata's going to appear at some point. Because she's the entire point to this new story. If all goes according to plan._**

"Neji-kun says that Naruto-kun will be coming home sometime soon," Lee said, looking up into the sky.

"Yeah. Tsunade-sensei said so, too," Sakura replied, twiddling her fingers in her pink hair.

"Are you excited to see him?"

"Totally. He's one of my closest friends in the entire world!"

Lee smiled. "It's amazing to think that it's really been two and a half years since he left."

Sakura sighed and sprawled out on the grass beside the place where the taijutsu master sat. "Has it seriously been that long? Huh…that means that you and I have been together for about six months, right, Lee?"

Lee smiled a little wider and started tracing random designs into her wide forehead with his rough fingertips. "Our six-month anniversary is in twelve days, love."

"Wow. We'll have to do something special."

"I'll have to ask that you cut that thought off right there. It wouldn't be very youthful of me to ruin the surprise," Lee replied, chuckling.

Sakura stuck out her tongue in his general direction, and the two young lovers laughed. After a few moments, though, Sakura's eye hooded over and her mouth transformed into a nostalgic pout. "Best six months of my _life_," she murmured.

"I agree whole-heartedly," Lee replied quietly, hunching over to kiss her pale shoulder.

--

**Naruto POV**

Honestly, as far as I was ever concerned, Sakura-chan was either going to end up with Sasuke or me. As far as I was concerned, no one else even had a _chance_ of winning her heart. (Especially since Sasuke won it when we were all, like, I don't know, _five_.)

Honestly, I thought I had more of a chance with Sakura-chan than Sasuke did, despite everything she apparently felt for him. I mean, at least I was interested in her. Sure, she wasn't exactly interested in _me_, but that's just 'cause Sasuke always had her distracted. I was sure that as soon as I came home to my Konoha, Sakura-chan'd see that she really wouldn't mind loving me.

Everything would be great. Sakura-chan would love me so much that she wouldn't be too distracted when we went looking for Sasuke. She'd be able to think clearly and responsibly. And when Sasuke saw how great Sakura and I were, how much better we were than that Orochimaru bastard, he'd see that Konoha was the place he was meant to be. (Or something like that. I haven't really thought the whole thing through as of _now._) And after we finally brought my brother home safe and sound, I would pull my pink-haired angel to the side and tell her how I've always loved her, and _how much _I love her, and how proud of her I am, and then she'd kiss me without letting me finish my sentence.

Life would be good.

No, life would be perfect.

--

The pervy sage told me not to get too excited about Sakura-chan. He reminded me that two and a half years is a long time, and that Sakura-chan might not have thought to wait for me when it came to her love. He reminded me of how Granny Tsunade had chosen Shizune-nee-chan's uncle over her own teammates, but I brushed him off. "That's stupid," I told him. "Or different, I guess. Sakura-chan's different. She'll still be there, waiting for me. She will."

I really hated the unsure look Pervy Sage kept giving me, like he actually thought that it was freaking _possible_ that Sakura-chan had gotten over Sasuke _and_ me so quickly. (Is two and a half years quick? I'm not sure.)

Pervy Sage would congratulate me when Sakura-chan was my bride. He would be happy that cruel history didn't repeat itself, didn't give Sakura her very own Dan to break my heart with. And Sasuke, my best man, would make fun of me and congratulate me at the same time, and then he would smile at whichever little fangirl he had on his arm. And Sakura, my pink bride Sakura, on Kakashi-sensei's arm, would enter the room and finally give herself completely to me, the guy she _belonged _with.

--

"Naruto! Wait up, wouldja? Konoha will still be there if we just _walk!"_

"Too slow, old man, too slow!"

"I am _not _an old man!"

I sprinted ahead of him, laughing as he huffed and puffed. I told him he shouldn't have eaten so much miso this morning. It was his own fault if he couldn't keep up!

Just up ahead. Just up ahead. Almost there. Nearly there. Home. Home, home! Konoha, Konohagakure! Just a little farther! There are the gates, the Village Gates! I'm home, I'm home, I'm…

I'm home.

I didn't really think as I climbed to the tallest pole I could get my hands on. All I could think about was being seen, and seeing everything, everything I'd missed for so long, everything that meant anything to me. The Konoha symbol on every wall, hanging from clotheslines and stuck to telephone poles. The colors, the shops, the smells, the voices. Everything, everything.

"GOOD MORNING, KONOHA! UZUMAKI NARUTO IS _HOME!_ DIDJA MISS ME?"

I could practically hear the village groan in unison to my announcement. I laughed at them and was thinking about what else I could shout out to bother the old biddies and pussy cats, but then, I heard a beautiful sound.

"Naruto! You're home! Welcome back!"

I looked down from my perch to see a little pink blob staring up at me. I stopped thinking again. All I could see was _her_. This was my moment. This was everything I'd been waiting for. She grinned up at me, smiling a dazzling smile that made my heart pound and my knees shake.

I slid down the pole and stood across from her. She stood about eight feet off, grinning that grin of hers, standing right in front of the sun. She was so…pretty. I really couldn't think of a better word. She was so, so pretty. Tall and slender with her hair in a spiky mess that was definitely deliberate. She was just too pretty.

I don't think I ever really think outside of battle. I just _do _and hope it works out okay in the end.

That was my policy in that moment, _my _moment. I could feel my body moving, could see her, could hear the sound of my own breathing and heartbeat. That was it.

My arms wrapped around her slender form and I moved my face towards hers. _Now or never, Naruto._

In a moment that seemed to last forever, I pressed my lips to Sakura's.

And then I heard a sickening crunch, and everything went black.

* * *

**_Oh dear. What just happened to Naruto? And why in HELL did he think that he had ANY right to kiss our dear Lee's_****_ dear Sakura?_**

**_Anyway, I'll see how long updating this one takes...I need to plan out the plot a bit more, but stick with me, and i'll stick with this. :)_**

**_Much love.  
Miyazaki A2_**


	2. Wee Bit of a Shock

Sakura was on her own, up on the rocky cliffs above Konoha. She twirled around gracefully but powerfully, like a lioness in motion. With every movement, every flick of a joint, she shattered the boulder before her a little more. She was still seeing red from her…_encounter _with Naruto, but now a pocket of dread was staring to manifest itself in the space behind her eyes, an uncomfortable pressure that made her dizzy. And the thing is…she knew exactly what the pressure was caused by, and why she was hiding out among the stones.

Lee.

She had no idea how he'd react. He would definitely find out about Naruto's hospital stay, and it would only complicate things if she tried to lie. But she couldn't imagine what he'd say or do about it. She remembered that he was the mildly jealous type when the two of them were younger and stupider, but what about now? Now that their six month anniversary was coming up? Now that Lee was _so _sure of Sakura's affection? Would Naruto ruin _everything _that Sakura had been working on for two and a half years?

She didn't know.

And the moment that she was dreading so terribly was coming much too soon.

"Sakura-chan? Funny meeting you _way up here_."

She stopped her destructive dance to turn around and face him. She tried to smile, but it just came out looking like a guilty grimace. "Oh, I was just trying to be…erm, alone."

Lee winked at her. "Then I'm probably in your way, then, aren't I?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "When are you ever in my way, stupid? Come over here and help me smash this to smithereens." She did her best to keep her tone light, but even Lee could notice the slight gargling noise in the back of her throat.

"Roger," he said cheerfully, bounding to her side. Neither of them hit very hard anymore—they unconsciously slowed down to make their time together last.

After a few minutes of silence, Lee cleared his throat and smiled over at his girlfriend. "So…have you seen Naruto-kun anywhere around? He was supposed to come home today, and Shikamaru-kun said that he saw Jiraiya-sama going towards the Hokage Tower, but no Naruto-kun."

Sakura could tell from his voice that he didn't know anything that could get Sakura in trouble prematurely. That being said, the idea of _what _she had to tell him made her growl audibly, and she punched the rock so hard that it created a crater a foot deep and seven inches in diameter.

Lee gaped at her, for the first time noticing that the boulder was riddled with similar holes.

"Sakura? Is something wrong with Naruto-kun?"

"He's in the hospital," she replied, hitting the rock again, thanking God that she had invested in the gloves that protected her knuckles from too much harm. Lee noticed that she didn't look concerned _at all_.

Lee, however, couldn't help but be concerned. "What? Why? What happened to him?!"

Sakura smirked humorlessly. "Well, maybe because I, er…kinda shattered his pelvis with my knee and several of his ribs with my, um, fist?" She said it like a question.

Now that he knew Naruto was in no immediate danger, Lee started to have fun with the boulder again, jumping and twisting before kicking the stone. "Really?" he asked, chuckling. "What did he do this time?"

Sakura watched as he spun around to kick the stone again. She took a shallow breath. "He kissed me," she whispered very quickly, hoping he wouldn't quite catch that.

And then there was a loud crash, and there was no more boulder. All that was left was a cloud of sand and Lee's cracked calf. Sakura ducked down to fix his leg so that she wouldn't have to look into his eyes for this section of the conversation.

"He did _what?!"_ Lee squeaked as she rolled down his legwarmer. At that moment, his body registered the pain and instability caused by his broken leg and he collapsed to the rocky floor.

"He _kissed _me, Lee-kun. I'm so sorry." She set his legwarmer to the side and started working on the fracture. It wasn't too deep—Lee's body had a high tolerance for pain and damage.

"_Where?!"_

Sakura forced out a laugh. She could tell that Lee's eccentric side was starting to build up and take hold of him. And she honestly didn't want Lee going all Five Gates on Naruto's sorry ass. "On the lips, Lee-kun. On the lips." Once the bone clicked into place, she looked up to see him furrowing his brow and looking decidedly away from her.

"Lee-kun? What are you thinking about? You're not mad at me, are you?"

Lee coughed and jerked his gaze to hers. "No. Honestly, Sakura-chan, I'm trying to mentally calculate exactly how much trouble I would get in if I were to give Naruto-kun a swift kick in the jaw."

"With your strength, that would probably kill him."

"And with your strength, Naruto-kun's probably sterile by now."

Sakura hadn't considered that problem when she'd shoved her knee into his groin. She'd just wanted him to get the hell off of her. "Oops."

"Indeed."

"So, I've got to go to the hospital now…to set things straight with Naruto. Wanna come? Get your two cents in?"

Lee chuckled. "You know that boulder that…isn't with us anymore?"

"Yeah?"

He frowned and lowered his eyes. "That was my, er, two cents."

"Ah. I see. I'll let him know."

* * *

**Naruto POV**

I did it. I did it, I did it, I did it. I kissed her. I, Uzumaki Naruto, kissed Sakura-chan. My first kiss. Her first kiss. I did it.

I'd known that she would probably be pretty angry at me for stealing her first kiss, but I didn't think she'd go as far as putting me in the hospital. But hey, she'd obviously gotten stronger while I was gone. I was so proud of her as I listened to the monotonous beeping of my own heartbeat that I didn't even mind the fact that I was so hurt.

When I opened my eyes for the first time after blacking out, Sakura was standing at the foot of my bed, her arms crossed and her mouth curved downward in a steady scowl. Okay…she was still angry._ Quick Naruto! Time to turn on that foxy charm of yours!_

"Heeeeeey, Sakura-_chaaaaan._"

"Hey, Naruto," she grumbled.

I grinned, and she exhaled sharply through her nostrils. I pictured steam coming out, like with a bull.

"Naruto," she said, letting her expression soften, "I'm _sorry_ I hurt you. It's just that I—"

"Sakura-chan," I said, closing my eyes and pursing my lips just a bit. "It's okay. I understand."

"How could you possibly understand? You just got home."

"I know, I know. But I still really think that things can work out…four us."

"Naruto, what are you going on about? What's gonna work out?"

"You and me, Sakura-chan…you and me."

"Wait, you don't mean us _together,_ do you?!" Her voice was suddenly full of disdain and disgust, and I opened my eyes to see that the scowl was back. I shivered at the honestly murderous look on my Sakura's face.

"Of course I do, Sakura-chan! I've been thinking about this a lot, and I want you to be my girlfriend! Seriously!" My voice was full of conviction; I really needed her to get this through her pink head.

Her eyes softened again, but even I could recognize the defiant set of her lips. "Naruto, you and I are _never _going to be together. Not. Like. _That_."

I knew she was going to say something like that. I just knew it. Damn it.

"Still stuck on Sasuke, huh. Figures" I lowered my eyes, trying to get over this blow as quickly as possible. It wasn't really a surprise. I'd just never really put myself out there like this before.

"_Sasuke?_" her voice sounded shocked, like it was amazing that I had come to that conclusion. Was I really that big of an idiot to her?

"Naruto, Sasuke isn't the one for me." Her voice was soft, as if she was being very careful not to say anything that could hurt me. Almost…unsure of how to put something.

"Then what's wrong with me?" My voice was too loud for a hospital, and I saw her wince at the angry demand. When she spoke again, all the tender caution was gone; she spoke without notice of my reaction.

"This is not about you. I already _have _a boyfriend, Naruto."

Silence.

I stared at her, horror plainly written on my face, and she stared out the window, smiling contently. Probably thinking about that freaking _boyfriend_—I hated to think the word, it felt like a terrible swear word—of hers. _Smiling_ about him. I wanted to barf, I wanted to scream, I wanted to wake up from this terrible nightmare. The only thing I managed to do, though, was let out one long growl from the back of my throat, and she didn't even notice.

I think we stayed there quietly for around ten minutes—more or less, maybe, I don't know—before I finally managed to cut off the growling that was less-than-human and plain and simply asked, "Who?"

She looked back at me and grinned like a little kid with wonderful news, like she was only too happy to be able to be the one to tell me. "Lee," she said, making the word sound like she was talking about God.

My reaction…was maybe a little…mean.

"YOU'RE FREAKING DATING _BUSHY-BROWS?!_"

Her face crumpled into a disapproving mask. "Would it kill you to use his real name?"

"Why the hell are you going out with BUSHY-BROWS?! I thought—but you—dodging the hearts—caterpillar eyebrows—creepy haircut—but—but—but!" I scrambled for some way to make sense of this, and after a few seconds came up with the only possible answer. "Pity dates, right? Pity dates."

"Naruto!" She said my name like it was a burden to have to pronounce. "_Pity dates?!_ Are you serious? If you _must _know, I am in _love _with Lee-kun!"

Her words didn't break my heart like they should've. No, I think they just broke my brain.

_Lee-kun. She said Lee-kun. She's stopped saying Sasuke-kun. And she'll never say Naruto-kun. She really is like Granny Tsunade. And I'm like Pervy-Sage. I missed my chance with her. She found a Dan. Lee-kun. She called him Lee-kun. Damn it._

__

**(A/N)**

**Lawl. Sakura broke Naruto's brain. Oops. And Lee blew up a boulder with his leg. Cuz he's awesome like that.**

**And the big question...Is Naruto sterile now? The answer: Nope. Tsunade-sama was able to put his man-parts back together, but she had to wash her eyes out with soap and water afterwards. Lawl.**

**Much Ai to all of you.  
Miyazaki A2**


	3. Ramen, anyone?

Team Eight—or Team Kurenai, as it were—sat in the middle of a clearing in the woods, their usual meeting spot. Kiba was laying against his over-sized dog, Shino was standing straight as a board by a tree, and Hinata was sitting cross-legged between the two…or three if you counted Akamaru.

Kiba was half-asleep and Shino was in his own little world by the time Hinata took a deep breath and announced, "I think N-N-Naruto-kun is in l-l-love with Sakura-san."

Kiba opened his eyes and half-shouted, "Who the hell says so?" at the same time that Shino shrugged and muttered, "Possibly."

Hinata looked over at her doggish friend and sighed. "I saw him…k-kiss Sakura-san today…when he g-got home."

Kiba laughed out loud, throwing his head back and showing his little fangs. "That idiot!" he shouted, causing birds all over to scream and fly away. "I bet Sakura didn't like _that!_"

"W-well, she d-did, um, hit him p-pretty hard." She was too polite to mention the knee to his crotch, but the mental image still made her wince in empathy.

"I think it's safe to say that Lee can't be too happy about that," Shino mumbled vaguely.

"Naruto's _so _dead!" Kiba howled. "I mean it, we're going to a funeral soon!"

Hinata couldn't help but feel that her teammates were missing the point, but she couldn't just go out and say, _BUT DON'T YOU EFFING UNDERSTAND THAT THE BOY I LOVE IS TOTALLY STUCK ON HIS TEAMMATE AND PROBABLY STAY THAT WAY TILL THE END OF TIME?? _No, she was too polite. She was barely able to even think the words to herself.

"Naruto-kun is probably hurting right now," she mumbled to no one in particular, just to get the words out.

Kiba's next laugh cut off short, and he looked at his quiet friend with an incredulous smirk. "What does _he _have to be hurting about?_ Lee's _the one who just got his girlfriend macked by some spaz."

Hinata blushed, wishing that she had let the subject drop. "I just m-meant that, erm, he really l-l-_likes _Sakura-san and he m-must feel terrible that he c-can't…h-h-have h-her."

"Insightful," Shino said quietly as Kiba shrugged indifferently. "But then, Hinata, _you _probably don't mind that Naruto can't have her."

"Shino!" Kiba growled. "You'll make her faint!"

Her face felt like it was on fire. Not just a campfire. A forest fire. No, a furnace. It might have been, for all she knew. Her head felt heavy, like it had been filled with lead, and it was making her dizzy to hold it up. Add that to the fact that the lead was slowly becoming molten with the insane heat, and she had quite a problem. Maybe she'd throw up. She didn't know. Her face was just so _hot!_

"N-n-n-_no!_" she stuttered. "No, th-that's not it at all. I w…_want _N-Naruto-kun to be happy."

"You assume he could only be happy with Sakura."

That was it. Too much blood in the head. She might as well have been standing on her head. She hadn't had a head-rush like this for…well, not for a while. Over the last few years, Naruto had been a constant part of every single thought her head produced. His voice pushed her forward during her training, encouraged her during the Chunin Exams, cheered for her when she received her certification. It was _his_ smile that she imagined when she needed strength, _his_ eyes she fantasized were gazing into hers when she looked up into the sky. She was used to having a weak blush on her face, but she enjoyed that, or at least, she was used to it.

But _this_ was different. This _hurt._ Really bad. Her head was surely about to explode.

Kiba and Shino exchanged a quick glance, and then Kiba gave Akamaru a meaningful look, as he sat up. The over-sized dog obediently walked up to Hinata and gave her face a big, long, wet lick.

This, though quite disgusting, cooled her off enough for her to be able to think straight. She took Akamaru's huge face in her hands and pressed her forehead against his. The excess blood drained from her face as she finally replied, "All I know is…Sakura-san is the one N-Naruto-kun…wants."

* * *

**Naruto POV**

Everyone was with someone, it seemed to me. I mean it. Everywhere I looked, people were holding hands or some crap like that.

I didn't have to stay in the hospital for long. I heal quickly, and Grandma Tsunade was my own personal doctor. She's a great healer, even if she _was _yelling at me the whole time for kissing a girl that I hadn't seen in two and a half years. After settling my homecoming and past mission with the aforementioned grouchy old lady, I was free to wander the village and rediscover my friends.

None of them freaked me out like Sakura-chan being with Bushy Brow did. Surprised me, sure, but none made me want to crawl under a rock and eat mice for the rest of my life.

They just made me feel kinda lonely.

The first couple I found was Shikamaru and some blonde chick that was apparently from Suna. They visited me in the hospital, just 'cause Shikamaru's cool like that. They weren't all kissy or anything—I mean, they didn't even _touch _each other—but they looked at each other _a lot_. That blonde what's-her-name was staring at Shikamaru from the corner of her eye the entire time we were talking. I dunno if Shikamaru noticed her interest, though. He seemed pretty much used to her.

The next one I came upon was Neji and Tenten. They weren't as subtle as Shika and Suna-chick, but not obnoxious about it. You could at least _tell _that they actually weretogether, sorta. I mean, they held hands. And Tenten giggled on and on about Neji's Jonin rank—God, why wasn't _I _a jonin?!—but Neji didn't seemed to care, or maybe he didn't notice. He just spoke calmly and politely, with a smile—just like always. Stupid freaking jonin person dude. Anyways, _they _didn't surprise me in the least.

Ino and Chouji…were all over each other. Ino's body was pretty much latched onto Chouji's for the entire time I talked to them. An arm around his waist, a hand on his arm, a head pressed against his shoulder—he was so freaking tall, now! Chouji just had one arm looped around her puny shoulders, 'cause he's never been pushy. He managed to disconnect himself long enough to give me a big old bear hug, the fluffy guy. I laughed and socked him lightly in the shoulder, and he punched me back, laughing.

The scary thing is that Ino was actually _pleasant._ _Nice. _Fun to _be around_. This left me speechless for a good few seconds. I mean, everything about her seemed…softer. Her eyes were happy, her smile was genuine, her voice wasn't in the least bit shrill, and her figure looked _healthy_. How the hell did Chouji manage to get her to a _healthy _weight?! I nearly went cross-eyed trying to figure it out.

I eventually decided that I was in an alternate universe where nothing made sense, and that I should just ride it out until Kami-sama fixed his blooper.

--

I was on my way to Ichiraku's when reality finally hit me.

Everyone was with someone.

Where did that leave me?

Would I have to find someone in one of the various countries I've been to?

Or maybe Sakura-chan was wrong about the whole 'we'll-never-be-together' thing. Maybe…maybe I could transform into Bushy-Brow and break up with her, and then do the same to Lee…and tell them that they weren't loved anymore…and break both their hearts…

Damn. Couldn't do that. That would _probably _be a bit crueler that I have the capacity for.

"H…Hello, N-Naruto-kun. Wel…welcome h-home," a tiny voice stuttered out a little ways in front of me.

I shook my head to release myself from my reverie and looked around for the source of the familiar voice. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it was Hinata—I'd recognize that stutter anywhere.

She was a good girl. Easy to talk to, nice to everyone no matter what. I doubt there was even an inkling of a mean thought in that head of hers. She was strong, too. Maybe she couldn't beat Neji back when they were younger—when he was a jerk and she was an all-out weakling—but she was a hard, dedicated worker. Besides, we shared the same nindo. Maybe that's why I was so happy to see her that day.

"Hey, Hinata!" I said, half-shouting and grinning. "Zup?" I added as I sat next to her behind Ichiraku's counter—I never knew she liked ramen!

"Z…zup? Erm, n-nothing m…_much_," she replied, stumbling over her words in that way she had. I figured that her stuttering was chronic. Maybe she should see a speech-therapist? Well, at least she wasn't doing that thing where she fiddled with her fingers. "You?" she finally asked, sounding a bit unsure if she should ask.

I yawned and mumbled out my reply. "Aw, just had my heart smothered under a pillow—that's all."

Her face crumpled inward; the pain she felt for my pain was obvious and automatic. She'd always been empathetic. "Oh…I'm…I'm so sorry, N-Naruto-kun. Wha…what happened?"

But I wasn't ready to talk about it. "You ordered yet?"

"I w-was about to, but th-then you showed up."

"Whaddaya want?"

"Erm…I was going to order…v-vegetable ramen…with gr-green tea. B-but you don't have to get m-me anything, Naruto-k-kun." Her face reddened as she spoke.

I didn't really care. Vegetable ramen barely cost anything. What was she all worried about? "Aw, why not? I've got a surplus going on here." I pulled out my fatty-frog-wallet-friend to prove my point. She blushed a little redder for God-knows-what. Maybe she should see a doctor or something about that easy blush of hers. Her face must be on fire.

"Oh…okay, th-then. Thank you very much, N-Naruto-kun."

"Hey, it's Naruto!" Teuchi shouted. I looked away from Hinata to see him grinning widely, his eyes all scrunched up. "My best customer! My mortgage'll be paid in no time, now!"

I laughed, and from the corner of my eye, I could see Hinata giggling. _**Cute when happy**_, Kyuubi thought sluggishly, eyeing her with a dull, animalistic hunger.

_Don't even look at her_, I growled as I ordered our ramen.

He growled back, and then fell asleep.

Hinata was silent for a while, her eyes on her hands. That broken look was back on her face, and she was deathly pale. I found then that I liked her chronic blush better than this frightening pallor.

I hoped, maybe if I got her to talk, she's get that look off her face. "So…um…" Only one subject was ready in my mind, so I went with that. "So, how long have Sakura-chan and Bushy-Brow been together?"

Her eyes were unreadable when she looked up. "Is that what's been bothering you?" Not a single stutter.

"Yeps."

"Oh. Well, th-they've been together for…erm…I'm not sure, but…half a year, maybe?"

_THAT LONG?!_ My heart fell further into my stomach. So this really _wasn't _just some fling. Wonderful.

"Huh," I said, and left it at that.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, because she's insightful.

We got our food then. I dug in immediately—mostly due to too long without that luscious, unique taste of Ichiraku ramen—but she just smiled at me and blushed and hid behind her bluish-black hair as she took a slow bite of her food. I wondered idly how she could survive, eating so slow.

That's when reality hit me, er, again. Since everyone was with someone, so was Hinata. With someone, I mean. She must've been waiting to meet him here. That's why she didn't really want me to pay.

"So, Hinata, are you dating Kiba or Shino?"

Hinata…pretty much exploded. Her cup flew out of her hand and all of her tea flew out of her mouth. She coughed very hard for a couple seconds, and her face was beet-red.

I hope this doesn't sound mean, but she looked kinda funny.

"Neither!" she coughed out, sitting up straight. It occurred to me that I should be patting her back or something, so I put my hand gently between her shoulder-blades.

The moment I touched her, the coughing stopped and she looked back at me with panicky eyes. "None of us f-f-_feel _that way about each other, N-Naruto-kun. We…we're more like f-family than anything else, r-really."

"Seriously? _You're _still single?" It didn't make sense to me. A girl as nice and pretty as Hinata could probably get any guy she _wanted_. It made no sense at all.

She blushed brightly and nodded quickly and turned back to her food without another word on the matter. I noticed quite distinctly that she was eating much faster than before. Was something bothering her?

It was then that I realized that I was still touching her. Still concerned, I pulled my hand away, watching her carefully.

I was distracted from my worrying when I saw the unmistakable color of a taijutsu suit in my peripheral vision. I turned slowly to face what I knew was coming.

But I chickened out at the last second and hopped off my stool, pumped chakra into my legs, and ran like freaking hell. If I knew anything, it was that I didn't stand a chance against a motivated Bushy-Brow. Well…_any _Bushy-Brow.

"Wait, Naruto-kun!" Bushy-Brow called. "I would like to speak with you!"

_Like hell you want to speak._

* * *

Hinata watched the chase between Naruto and Lee up until nine more Naruto-s popped into existence and ran off into different directions. She smiled shyly as Lee stopped to deliberate, and then took a sharp left turn.

She turned back around when she heard Teuchi grumble, "Stupid kid left without paying!"

She smiled a little wider. "Don't worry. I'll pay for him."

He blinked at her, surprised to not hear a single stutter. He shook his head quickly. "Naruto never pays when he eats with someone else. Not even with a lady."

She automatically shifted into protect-mode. "He's a good guy. Someday he'll pay."

Teuchi laughed. "And someday he'll realize you only ever stutter when you're thinking about _him._"

She bowed her head and handed him the money. "M…maybe," she said quietly, not believing herself at all.

* * *

**_A/N_**

**_Well, this took long enough. I mean, really long. Frighteningly long. Annoyingly long._**

**_And the beginning of the NARUTO POV sucks. Forgive me. If you remember from New Life, all of these couples were mentioned, and I just had to mention them in this one. Because Naruto really doesn't have many other Options than to realize Hinata's love for him. (giggles)_**

**_Much love to you all, always and always.  
Miya Aitu_**


	4. Man to Man Talk

**Naruto POV**

_Wasting my chakra, wasting my chakra, wasting my freaking chakra, THIS IS STUPID! _

I stopped running in a secluded alleyway. I was no coward. My nindo's 'Never run away or give up.' And if all's fair in love and war, then my nindo should stand strong here. I called back my clones and waited.

It didn't take long for Bushy-Brow to find me. He'd been after the real me the whole time. He stood at the opening of the alley and didn't move any closer to me.

"Are you a kage bunshin?" he asked quietly.

"Nope." I made a popping sound with my lips on the P.

It looked like he believed me. He smiled, at least.

"Welcome home, Naruto-kun," he said, crinkling up his eyes and grinning that shiny grin of his.

"Yo, Bushy-Brow."

We stood in heavy silence for a moment or two, but I couldn't stay off-subject for long. I have a one-track mind.

"So. You're going out with Sakura-chan."

He didn't lower his eyes as he walked closer to me. I looked him over as he walked. For all my muscular and…er, vertical growth, he still beat me. Still taller, and—my God!—he must've been flexing his freaking muscles or something 'cause he looked _ripped!_ The darn guy worked out _so much!_

"Yes, Naruto-kun," he finally said when he was maybe three feet away. He leaned against a building so I couldn't see his eyes. Or maybe he just didn't want to look at me. "I am."

"Lucky bastard."

He laughed once. "You have no idea how much I agree with that statement."

I growled. "You know I kissed her, right?"

His voice was just a little off when he answered. "Yes, I do. I _also _know that it was quite unwilling on Sakura-chan's end of the deal."

My eye twitched. "You know that…I love her, right?"

"I love her, too. _More._" His voice was low, quiet, a snarl.

I was suddenly grateful that we weren't facing each other. I could barely _listen _to this, let alone look at him while he said it.

"I'm not giving her up, Naruto-kun. You're a good, precious friend of mine, but…_you can't have her."_

The words were too much. Everything in my exploded. I didn't want to listen to this. _Couldn't._

"It's not FAIR! Why do _YOU _of all people get to have her?!"

"She _chose _me."

"_She chose Sasuke!"_

"Sasuke _left. _So did you."

His voice hit me like a whip. This…this wasn't Bushy-Brow. This was Rock Lee. He wasn't negotiating, wasn't discussing. He was fighting. Fighting hard.

Two could play at this game.

"_I _came back."

He finally looked at me, and his eyes were unfathomably angry. I glared right back at him, though I had the feeling that he was going to win in the anger-battle.

"I. Never. Left. I _stayed._ Do you think that I was just keeping her _warm _for you? That her and my feelings would just _disappear _now that you're home? That anything can fix all the _pain _Sakura went through because _you and Sasuke—_her_ family!—_had _abandoned _her?!"

His face was murderously furious. And his voice…was just scary. More animalistic than mine could ever be, even with the Kyuubi. If I hadn't known any better, I'd think he was fighting for his life, and the life of…his loved one.

I could tell that I wasn't going to win this battle. But Lee was going to make completely sure.

"She still mourns over Sasuke, you know. She's tried all sorts of things to get over him, but even I can tell that she has to see him again for it to be final. Part of her…the child inside of her…it's dying everyday she can't know that he's alright. Naruto-kun…she needs you to be her friend and help her get Sasuke back. She _needs _her family to be whole again. And…she doesn't just mourn over Sasuke, Naruto-kun. She mourns over Team 7."

"Well at least we have something in common. I miss my family, too."

Lee lowered his eyes and spoke very quietly. "I want to help you find Sasuke, Naruto."

I let out a short snarl. "He's not _your _brother."

"No, but he's Sakura's. And I don't think she can really be…well, reach a state of Nirvana, let's say…until he's back on our side. You have no idea how much her happiness means to me."

"It isn't your place to—"

"Sakura-chan thinks it is. She wants me to come. You can't say that I wouldn't be helpful."

I shook my head. I could tell he was changing the subject. "So does this mean that _my _feelings are just supposed to disappear, Lee?"

"I would greatly appreciate it."

"That hardly seems _fair._"

"_Life _isn't fair."

For some reason, this common statement really hit me hard. It was just so _true._ Almost every single shinobi I've ever met—myself included—has some sort of sob-story going on, some tragic past. Lee was right. Life just wasn't fair.

"Look at it this way, Naruto-kun," Lee said softly, his face turned away. "Sakura-chan despised the very sight of me once before. Maybe she'll change her mind…and feel that way again."

"You've got some self-worth issues, man."

"Sakura-chan says the exact same thing," he replied easily, laughing.

We were quiet, then. I didn't know what else to say.

But Bushy-Brow did.

"I don't want you to hate me, Naruto-kun. I value your friendship deeply."

"I don't have you, Bushy-Brow. I just hate the _freaking _situation."

"I won't apologize for the situation."

"I wouldn't, either."

"Okay, then."

Something suddenly occurred to me. "So, are you the reason her headband is red now?"

"I am."

"I see. Lucky bastard."

And that was that.

* * *

Sakura was alone by the secret lake in the forest when Lee showed up. The first thing she noticed was that he looked…tired. He walked straight to where she was sitting, crumpled to the ground, put his head on her lap, and sprawled out on the forest floor.

"I had a talk with Naruto-kun," he said quietly.

"Oh, Lee…how did it go?" she asked, stroking his forehead and his soft hair.

"I think we…came to an understanding…but he was so _angry._ And I was…_mean_. I shouldn't have been. I could've just said 'don't touch my woman!,' kicked him in the jaw, and had it overwith, but I didn't. I was mean. I accused him of abandoning you."

"Lee…" Sakura caressed his closed eyes, traced the hard line of his nose, ran her fingers across his lips, and finally rubbed his tense jaw. "That might have been a _little _mean. But, c'mon—"

"He wants you. He wants to take you from me." His voice was desperate. He wasn't used to someone else wanting Sakura—he had just gotten Sakura wanting someone else! He'd thought he was in the clear!

"He can't have me."

"That's what _I _said."

She carefully moved out from under his head, set it gently on the ground, and crawled around so that she was laying on her stomach next to him. She moved forward just a bit to rest her lips against his tightly-closed eyelids. "Things'll work out how they're supposed to, Lee-kun. Naruto'll get over me."

"He said he loves you."

"He probably does, too. But _I _loved Sasuke. And I got over _him_."

"But you still _love _him."

"Sure, like family. Just like I love _Naruto _like family."

"I don't think Naruto-kun wants to see you like a sister, Sakura-chan."

She moved her lips to his and spoke against them in a soft, breathy voice. "He doesn't have much of choice. Because I am _not going _to get over _you_."

She then pressed her lips a little harder against his, and she could feel him smiling.

* * *

**_(A/N)_**

**_Whoo! Much faster this time. Because arguments are easy to write. I mean, REALLY easy. Scary easy._**

**_And people...before you say anything about Naruto's behavior in this chappy...please try to remember that the last time he ever went up against Lee, it involved a lot of boo-boos for him. And despite training with Jiraiya, Naruto isn't suddenly going to act like he isn't afraid of SUPER TAIJUTSU!!! And besides, Lee's his friend..._**

**_Anyway. :)  
Miya Aitu_**


	5. Dusty Hopes and Dreams

**Naruto POV**

My little apartment was dark and musty when I walked in. I had to cough, which was distinctly uncomfortable in the stagnant air. I'd have to clean up before long. I wasn't accustomed to inhaling dust.

But, for the moment, I was content to wallow in the proof of my lengthy absence. It fit my mood.

I didn't know what to do. There were so many options. Some destructive to others, some destructive to myself, some not destructive at all.

Option A) In theory, I _could_ try to do as Bushy-Brow said and just give up on Sakura-chan, and be the brother _he _says she needs.

I didn't want that.

Option B) I could keep fighting back, eventually destroying their relationship at the very core, undoing all their years of past and future happiness.

But that could destroy _them, _too.

Option C) I could shut down and let my deepest sorrows consume me until my love finally decided that my pain was too much for her to bear, and she would come to me, in tears, and promise to be mine for the sake of my happiness.

Yeah _the hell _right.

Option D) A mixture of A and B. Be her friend, her brother, and at the same time…keep fighting. Let her see how good I would be for her. Show her how strong I am. Hope that at some point, she'd want me more than Bushy-Brow. Things could be exactly like they'd been before I'd left. Well…_almost _exactly…

That seemed to be the only way to go. I could never hate my friends for being happy together, and I wasn't going to go all emo just because the girl I think I loved refused to feel the same way.

I just wished that I had gotten a chance to sock Bushy-Brow in the gut, just for the sake of letting some anger out.

For a wild moment, I pictured the sound and feel of rips deteriorating under the force of my knuckles.

_**You never woulda been able to hit him, human. You are MUCH too slow.**_

My vision changed to me taking a swipe at Bushy-Brow, him ending up behind me, and crushing my shoulder blades with a flick of his wrist.

_**Exactly,**_ the Kyuubi said, nodding.

A low, contained growl built up in my throat, causing an uncomfortable pressure as I tried to calm myself down. My entire body was tingling. The mucky air was sticking to my sweat-moistened face, and was starting to regret the afternoon of mindless training—it made me too hot, too alert. Uncomfortable.

I pulled my clothes off and walked to my bedroom in my boxers. I didn't bother putting my pajamas on. I just flopped down on top of my sheets and tried to deaden my mind in the damp darkness. My mind still buzzed alertly, and I eventually rolled onto the floor in humid distaste. Heat rises, after all.

My mind never really settled down. Even after I left consciousness, I still heard the sound of my ribs crunching under my teammate's outrage, the snarling words, "_You can't have her,"_ the sound of my blood pulsing savagely behind my ears as I tried to deny these words, and finally, at the end…the gentle, pleasant stutter of a girl that was always nothing nice to me_… "H…Hello, N-Naruto-kun. Wel…welcome h-home…"_

_--_

The world seemed…foggy when the obnoxious buzzing of my doorbell broke into my awareness. I growled audibly as the sunlight hit my vulnerable, unprepared pupils. I was still pretty much asleep as I hobbled across the apartment and opened the door.

"Naruto! What the hell! Would it _kill _you to put on a robe before ya open the door?!"

The acute alertness was suddenly back as Sakura-chan's voice reverberated in my ears. My eyes quickly opened to their full capacity, and I prepared to get hit again.

But she just scoffed and covered her eyes with a slender hand. "Never mind, never mind. Tsunade-sama has summoned us for a mission. Meet me there, I guess." She looked as though she was about to leave, then faltered. She lowered her hand and met my gaze with conflicted eyes. "Naruto…we _are _still friends and teammates, you know, even if you're angry with me. We always will be."

It occurred to me vaguely that, in the past, that last statement would've been a question. _Naruto, are we still friends, even though you're angry at me?_ _We always will be, won't we? _But she was so much more confident now…

I wanted to tell her that I could never be angry with her, but the words wouldn't come. "Do you know what the mission is?" I replied, trying to convey with my tone that _of course _we were still friends and teammates—duh!—without having to say it out loud.

Her brow furrowed a bit, and all signs of careful intimacy disappeared. Business, now. "We need to help Gaara. That's all I know."

Gaara.

My mind stopped working at that moment.

* * *

Naruto honestly felt ready to drop dead when the Godaime told him about Gaara's kidnapping. It was like the Fates were _trying _to give him a brain aneurism!

Nobody dared speak on the desperate run to Suna. Each for different reasons, too.

Kakashi, for one, had nothing to say and didn't feel like attempting to make insincere conversation in this tense atmosphere.

Sakura still felt a twinge of awkwardness when she looked at her blonde teammate. She worried that he was angry, especially since he had never responded to her promise of eternal camaraderie earlier this morning. She was worried that he was trying to spite her by ignoring her. She was worried that she was going to lose a brother for gaining a lover. Was _that _why he wouldn't speak, wouldn't look anywhere but ahead? It had to be.

But, as is custom with Sakura when she is completely and utterly _stressed_, she was wrong.

Naruto was naturally very emotional, and had trouble keeping his volatile emotions in check. His psyche could only hold a few emotions at a time, or else he'd go insane.

He'd practically forgotten about his heartache over Sakura. No, he was much too distracted by his fierce love and sense of kinsmen-ship he felt for Gaara. And…anger. Naruto held lots of anger that someone out there _dared _to hurt one of the few people who really understood him.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

I love a lot of people. Despite all the hatred and pain within the monstrous side of me, I have a lot of love to give. And I give it out freely. I love anyone who accepts me, is willing to smile and speak kind, sincere words to me. That's…that's just how I grew up.

Each love is different. And the love I reserve for Gaara…it's like a familial bond, sort of like with Sasuke, just not as…involved, effort-requiring. He…Gaara…he understands the monster within me, the battle I fight every time I get upset, the battle to stay myself. Understands my deepest pains, my primal need to accepted and loved. He understands my childhood, the motives which drive me. Because they are all _his_, too.

I couldn't' let him get hurt.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

I didn't know how to feel…

On the one hand…I was upset that Naruto-kun was hurting about losing the chance to win Sakura-san's love. His pain has always been my pain, so I was hurting right along with him.

But at the same time, I was sadistically—masochistically—happy that Sakura-san belonged to Lee-san. It was a _selfish_ joy. I can't even pretend to be happy because _they_ were happy. No…no, I was happy because now there was hardly anyone Naruto could love without breaking up a happy couple…except for me.

You see?! That's a terrible, monstrous form of joy! I hated myself, hated myself fiercely, because I smiled for half a moment when Sakura-san hit Naruto-kun after he kissed her. Sure, as to be expected, my ribs started to ache in dull agony and I had a coughing fit, but I still somehow managed to crack a tiny smile. How could I _do _that?!

There had never been any doubt in my mind that I loved Naruto and always would. The fate of my heart was decided long ago, back in the Ninja Academy, when he was still the little boy people wholeheartedly denied, the boy I would see starting trouble in class just so he could hear and remember his own name, the boy I would see crying out on that old swing.

Didn't that little boy deserve to have his love requited?

But then, does that mean that Lee-san should have to give up the love of his life?

And…I hate to ask, but…I mean…what about me?

--

"Hinata."

"Yes, Kiba-kun?"

"Repeat after me," he ordered, grinning.

"Um…why?"

"Just do it."

"Oh…okay?"

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata," he said in a high, breathy voice and winking for some reason I couldn't guess.

"Why do I have to—"

"Hi_nata!" _Kiba-kun growled playfully, amused.

"Okay. My name is Hyuuga Hinata?" It came out like a question.

"I use jutsus with the Byakugan."

I paused, wondering where this could possibly be going. "I use jutsus with the Byakugan."

"I was in the top five in my class, grade-wise."

How did he know? I never bragged about those things. "I was in the top five of my class, erm, grade-wise."

"I'm pretty darn beautiful."

Was this supposed to be a confidence building exercise? Guh. "I'm…er, pretty…?"

"Pretty darn _beautiful_," Kiba-kun corrected, falling out of his Mocking-Me voice.

I blushed mildly and shook my head. "Pretty darn beautiful," I repeated in a whisper, just so we could get on to the next statement.

"Okay," he said, clearing his throat and regaining 'my' voice. "I am _totally _in love with Uzumaki Naruto."

Sometimes I think Kiba is out to kill me.

Akamaru barked at the same time that Shino-kun said, "_Now_ who's going to make her faint?"

Kiba-kun ignored the two of them, daring me with his eyes to follow his directions.

I tried to ignore the now-painful heat in my cheeks as I cleared my throat and sat up straight. I was going to act confident even if it _did _kill me.

"I…I am t-totally in…l-l-love with Uzumaki N-Na…_Naruto_." I closed my eyes and let myself gaze into the warm blue that always pushed me on when I needed it most. "I am totally in love with Uzumaki Naruto."

I opened my eyes, suddenly feeling lighter, happier.

Kiba-kun and Akamaru grinned their doggish grins, and I could even tell by the set of Shino-kun's shoulders that he was smiling, too. I'm not sure if my brothers were proud or just amused, but I like it when they smile, and I couldn't help but returning a flushed grin.

"And someday soon," Kiba-kun went on, even though I thought the exercise was over, "I'll tell him so."

And _that's _when I fainted.

Kiba's a jerk sometimes.

* * *

(A/N)

**Miya: Guess what!!**

**Aitu: What?!**

**Miya: I'm trying to stick to cannon as much as possible!**

**Aitu: Really? Why the hell are ya doin' that?**

**Miya: Because I'm mashocitic!**

**Aitu: Really?**

**Miya: Totally!**

**Both: YOSH!!**

(Oh, and I've decided to give Hinata her very own POV. Take that! YOSH!)

Much love.  
Miya Aitu.


	6. Stalker? Not at all

**Naruto POV**

It bugged me for maybe half a moment when Bushy-Brow's team showed up as our reinforcements, but then I remembered that Lee had a strong friendship with Gaara, too, and that he was here for _him_, not Sakura-chan. Sure, that didn't stop their eyes from lighting up with unadulterated _joy_ when they saw each other, but I was able to ignore that. I only have so big an attention span, after all.

I _hated_ to admit it, but Sakura-chan worked better with Bushy-Brow around. Knowing that he was in danger made her act more directly, more purposefully. All she wanted was to get the danger out of the way as quickly as possible, and she usually got what she wanted.

…_Bushy-Brow makes her stronger…_

--

Sitting on him.

That blonde dick was sitting on my friend.

That girly-man blonde _bastard_ was sitting on Gaara! Like he's an item, an animal, something that people wouldn't even notice if it was gone! A deer that had fallen prey to a hunter!

No, hunters are more respectful towards their game.

Gaara was like a piece of _trash _to them!!

My anger was raw, pure. No tender emotion from the outside world could touch me. There was nothing left within me but the powerful, primal love I reserved for Gaara, and the hatred I felt towards those who were killing him.

It occurred to me that my Konoha comrades were in danger behind me as I chased the blonde bastard, risking their lives, too. A small, quiet part of me wished that I could do something about that, but the majority of my being shook it off by saying that the danger _ahead _of me was more immediate than the danger behind. Besides, at least my Konoha friends were…conscious…alive…

Unlike Gaara.

Gaara.

I ran faster, ever faster. The more my legs screamed to slow down, the faster I pushed myself.

Gaara, Gaara, Gaara!

--

It hurt when I finally caught up with the blonde bastard. Hurt because when I ripped up the clay bird that Gaara was trapped in, he looked very, very dead. Hurt because I wanted to kill the blonde bastard, and Kakashi-sensei wouldn't let me. Even when the heat of my monstrous chakra started to consume my body and mind, he stopped me from killing Gaara's murderer with that seal of his.

But I decided Blondie could wait. After all, what could her do with one arm? And Gaara needed me.

I know I should've been happy when Chiyo-baa-chan, Sakura-chan, and everyone else showed up, safe and sound, but I didn't have the capacity for it. I didn't have the capacity for anything but misery. I was in mourning. I was ready to tie my headband around my neck and dress in black and shut up for a week. I was in mourning. I was so deathly miserable that I barely noticed when the old lady and Sakura-chan started putting their glowing hands on Gaara. It registered in the back of my head that the gesture was futile, that there was nothing left to be done for him. Jinchuuriki die when their Bijuu is taken out.

But, even so, I made a bit of a bigger attempt to listen.

Chiyo needed chakra. I got that much.

I would've given anything to save Gaara, that kindred spirit of mine. What was a little chakra here or there? If I used up too much, I'd die. So what? If I didn't use _enough_, Suna would die. The only person who can understand every aspect of my being, he'd…Gaara'd die.

So I gave Gaara something as good as blood. My chakra. A little bit of my life-force. A bit of myself. Because he's my brother, too. Just like Sasuke.

* * *

Gaara opened his eyes, just barely opened them and was greeted by a wide, toothy, familiar grin. His eyes moved up until he met the tear-filled blue gaze of one of his dearest friends, Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage.

"Naruto," he muttered softly, studying his features. Was…was Naruto dead, too? Because Gaara had been _very _dead. In the next world and everything. When did Naruto die? Gaara felt a pang of guilt, remorse. Naruto must've died trying to save him. God. How was that fair? He…he hadn't become Hokage yet! No!

"Welcome back, Gaara!" Naruto shouted, hurting the Kazekage's ears.

Wait…nothing hurt in the after-world. Did that mean that…that Gaara was alive? How?

"Naruto, what…?"

"We missed you, Gaara!" Naruto's eyes scrunched up.

Gaara was suddenly quite aware of his body. He felt heavy. In the after-world, he had had no eyes to see with, but he could see, and no body to hold him down, though he did not disappear. Now, he was distinctly aware of the tug of clothing on skin and muscle on bone as he sat up straight, keeping his eyes on Naruto for the sake of his sanity.

There was a loud roar of insane, adoring pleasure. Arms were suddenly around his neck. He could his student's joyous sobs, and he let her hug him. He looked at Naruto, in wordless awe of the ability to breathe, and let loose a small, grateful smile.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

"He _honestly _thought that you were with one of us?"

I'm not sure why I tell Kiba-kun anything. _Now he'll probably make me do another confidence exercise._ "Yes, h-he did."

"Well I understand half of that assumption. I mean, who in the right mind can resist this sexy hunk of dog meat?" He pointed to himself, grinning slyly. "But Shino? Naw, everyone knows he has a thing for that ladybug of his."

"I do not have a _thing _for Aiko-chan," Shino-kun said calmly, angling his chin in a way that convinced me he was scowling.

"_Sure _you don't," Kiba-kun replied smoothly. "That's why you named her 'little love.' Weirdo."

"Dog-breath."

"Bug-brain."

"Puppy-mange."

"Drone."

"Beta-wolf."

"Roach."

"_Mutt._"

Kiba-kun and Akamaru barked at the same time. Shino-kun, victorious, stroked the ladybug that was taking up residence on the bridge of his nose.

Sometimes I wonder if a conversation will ever stay on me.

--

I'm not a stalker or anything. I came out here all the time while Naruto-kun was gone. It's where I come to think. So why should there be any problem with me standing out by these posts and the memorial stone now that Naruto-kun's home?

I never wanted him to actually show up while I was here, but I guess some things are inevitable. (Too bad. I wasn't in the mood for conversation.)

"Hinata?"

My eyes shot away from the sky into his eyes. Their color made it seem like I was still looking up.

"Oh! N-Naruto-kun!" I battled with my tongue for a moment. "H-how w-was your m-mission?"

To anyone else, he might've smiled and made a joke about it, but for some reason that I can't understand, he can get so serious with me. I remembered the time we'd spoken at this very spot before his fight with Neji-nii-san in the Chunin Exams. He'd been so open with me, telling me all about his worries…

So he frowned and looked at his feet, his hands in his pocket. "Pretty scary, to tell you the truth." He scowled, as if he was ashamed of admitting it. "Thank God it was a success."

"Mm," I replied, nodding.

He looked back up at me, suddenly cheerful. "So, whatcha doin' out here, Hinata?"

Guh. What…what could I tell him? That I came out here whenever I felt like imagining his arms around me? That this was the one place where I could dare to feel hopeful when it came to him and his affection? That I was trying to figure out a way to tell him I loved him more than myself?

Mm-hmm. _That _would go over well.

"Oh, I, erm…I ju…just come out here wh…when I f-feel like b-being ah…alone…"

He nodded. "I understand that. It has the same effect on me, too, sometimes."

Did that mean he wanted to be alone right now? Should I leave?

But he kept talking. "So, whaddaya want to be alone for? Problems at home or somethun?" He stared at my face for two seconds as I thought of what to say, and then his face scrunched up, like he had found a reason to regret the question. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's none of my business, I mean."

If only he knew just how much of his business it really was.

"N-no, it's okay. I…" I changed my sentence in the middle, not liking how it would sound. "How are you f-feeling?" That was a safe question.

He paused. "Fine," he said unsurely, probably wondering what this had to do with anything.

"Good," I said, managing to smile. My face fell a bit. What I really wanted to know was how he was feeling about the Sakura situation. But how could I put it? _So, have you finally gotten over Sakura? 'Cause I've been waiting for you to since we were, like, FIVE._ Yeah right. And then there was that other problem. "D-do you want me to…go away?" I offered, not quite managing to meet his gaze.

His face got weird again. "Why would I? S'nothing wrong with you." He then plopped down on the ground and patted the space beside him. I hesitantly crouched down, not quite sitting, and together we watched the clouds go by silently for a little while.

After maybe ten minutes, he laughed. "I never did pay for that lunch of ours," he said, smiling a little. "Stupid Bushy-Brow." He turned his head a little to look at me. He was grinning, now. "It's lucky for you that I only managed to get one bowl in me before Bushy-Brow started chasing me. It woulda cost you a fortune otherwise."

I couldn't tell if he was trying to bring up the subject or not.

…But I didn't have to wonder for long.

His voice was suddenly very, very small. Almost nonexistent. "Hey Hinata. You're smart…what do you think I should do about…Sakura-chan?"

Pain hit me square in the chest like a rusty knife. "W-what are you t-trying to d…do?"

"I don't even know, Hinata. I don't want to break them up, 'cause that's not fair and Sakura-chan'd hate me, but…"

"B-but at th-the same time, y-you don't want to g-give up on her. Your n…your nindo."

"Yeah. _Your _nindo, too. You should understand more than anyone."

I understood only too well. Painfully well. The rusty knife was pulled out, made a 90˚ turn, and stuck itself back in the same hole, making a cross in my chest. This, obviously, made tears sting the corners of my eyes and a sob wracked my wounded chest. I tried to swallow the noise as quickly as possible, but he still heard.

"You sick or something, Hinata? Your eyes are all watery. Allergies?"

"Yeah…allergies…" I agreed quickly.

He didn't seem convinced, but returned his eyes to the sky nonetheless. I decided that it wouldn't be too smart of me to stay here much longer, lest I stutter out some stupid comment that would be taken the wrong way and cause me even more pain, but Naruto-kun obviously couldn't grasp this simple-enough-to-understand concept.

"But why Bushy…why Lee? What's so great about him?"

I could answer this one, at least. I decided to postpone my flight. "Well, Naruto-kun, he…he took c-care of her, when no one else th-thought to. She was his m-main pr-priority. She g-got undivided attention from him for t-two years b…before she decided that he was who sh-she w-wanted."

"You been talkin' to her?"

"S-some. Sh…she's open, you know. Neji-nii-san talks about it, too. H-he and L-Lee-san are close friends, you know…brothers, almost…" My voice trailed off. He wasn't listening anymore.

"Hey, Hinata?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I should have stayed?"

* * *

**Naruto POV**

I trust Hinata. She's good. Inherently good.

It's so easy to take off my happy mask around her. I can't explain it. She's just…not judgmental, not at all. She believes in me. She adopted my nindo. She's a good girl.

I could feel the tension as my question hung lifelessly in the air. She seemed to be thinking about the answer very hard.

"…No," she finally said. "No, I think it was very…important that you left."

"Because Bushy-Brow makes Sakura-chan so happy?"

"That's not it. How…how strong do y-you th-think you'd be r-right now if you h-hadn't trained with Jiraiya-sama everyday for the l-last t-two and a half y-years?"

I couldn't deny the gentle sensibility in her point. "Ah. I see. Not nearly as strong."

"And Sasuke-san w-would still be exactly as s-strong as he is ri…right now. So y…you would have n…no chance of bringing him h-home."

She was right. I knew she was right. It seemed I could only have one of my teammates the way I wanted them. My brother or my love. Damn it.

"But…S-Sakura-san _is _happy, N-N…Naruto-kun."

I looked back up at the sky. The clouds and Hinata's eyes were nearly the same strange shade of pale grayish-purplish-white. "I know she is, Hinata."

The clouds rolled by dolefully.

"Hinata…do you…do you think anyone will ever see me that way?"

Silence.

I looked over my shoulder to see her sitting in the fetal position, staring at me with her wide, pale eyes. Her white face was slowly turning beet-red.

She met my gaze for a moment, and then moved her eyes to the ground, starting to do that thing with her fingers. "Why not?" she asked softly, extremely softly. "You're b-brave, you're true, and you're"—she giggled—"charming. You take care of your friends; you love them more than you do yourself sometimes. You…you're…you're everything…Naruto-kun."

I could barely hear her; her lips barely moved around the words. I looked away, trying to process her words. I couldn't figure out what she meant, especially by 'everything.' And when I looked back up to ask her to explain, she was gone. I stood up jerkily, but I couldn't even sense her chakra anywhere in the vicinity.

_Damn she's fast! That's kinda cool!_

__

**(A/N)**

**w00tage! We ALMOST got a confession out of Hinata! Yeah, baby!**

_Is it nessecary to be that excited? She ran away._

**_Yeah, but she didn't faint! That's a success in my book! _****_(And Shino SO has a thing for Aiko-chan.)_**

_Anyway, this was an annoying chappy to write, at least while still in Suna. It was just...annoying. Erg._

**Much love.  
Miya Aitu.**


	7. New Mission, YAY!

**WARNING.**

**From here on out, I shall twist cannon in any way I need to. Because, after all, this is fanfiction.**

**Hear me rawr.**

* * *

There really wasn't a lot of time for much delay between coming home from Suna and acting on Sasori's dying instructions. It was act now or miss the chance.

Yamato told Naruto and Sakura that it would be best to try to collect a couple more people, other than the new guy, Sai. After all, they would be up against a lackey of the Snake Sannin. Who knew what kind of curse-marked-power they'd have to deal with?

Sakura, of course, picked Lee, since he was fast enough to catch the informant if he tried to run away—nice excuse, Sakura—so it was Naruto's job to pick the last member of their team. Basically, it didn't matter as long as they were helpful, somehow.

His first thought was Shikamaru or Ino, since they could control people with their abilities, but they both had missions.

Everyone had missions, in fact, except for Team Kurenai. Naruto decided that Hinata would be the most helpful of the three, with her Byakugan. Depending on how strong her vision was, she could be a vital asset to the team.

It was a good thing that she was going, too. She would pretty much be the only person Naruto wouldn't feel awkward around, even _with _that longing to bring his brother home clouding most his thoughts.

And…she was just so pleasant to be around.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

"Hinata, do you see the bridge anywhere up ahead?"

"Naruto, you can't just use Hinata like a GPS system. We'll get there when we get there." Sakura-chan's voice was exasperated. I'd been asking that same question all day.

But Hinata still put her Byakugan on for me and looked as far as she could. "N-No, Naruto-kun. We're not close enough yet."

"We just left yesterday, dummy. It's a long way away," Sakura-chan continued, looking at me in annoyance as she jumped from branch to branch. "_Try _to be patient."

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said quietly from beside me. "W…we'll get there in time. I promise. D-Don't worry."

I shot a grateful glance to her. Her face was hard and set in determination. The veins in her eyes still bulged.

"Hinata," I said slowly. "You can turn your byakugan off now." I remembered the feverish fainting spells she got when she used it too much, and we didn't have time for that…also, she'd probably get hurt if she fainted way up here, and that was unacceptable to me.

Her eyes widened as if she hadn't even noticed that it was still on, and she nodded. Her eyes went from stark-white to pale, pale lavender, and her face smoothed down. Her face was still hard, though. It surprised me how in to this mission she was. She probably didn't have any emotional investment in getting Sasuke back…I guess she's just a hard worker.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

You could say I was here on this mission because I wanted to be near Naruto, and it would be true. But there was something more to it than that. I…I wanted to be _of use _to him. Nothing pleased me more than when he asked for my help, when there was something I could do for him that no one else could. When I once cursed my Byakugan because I didn't want people to be forced to depend on me—the weakling, the failure—I now adored it…because who else on this team could my dear Naruto-kun look at with his beautiful blue eyes and ask if the bridge was close by?

Just me.

I had no connection with Sasuke-san. If it hadn't been for his brotherhood with Naruto-kun, I would've never cared if he came home or not. To me, he was a traitor, a heartless turncoat. But…I tried to imagine that it was Kiba or Shino that had defected, and that made it easier to understand why Naruto-kun was constantly running a little bit faster than the rest of us.

Basically, the only reason I cared whether or not we found Sasuke-san was because of the bond he shared with the boy I could only hope to ever share a bond with.

"Hinata-san?" the boy named Sai called out quietly. I shot a quick glance to his blank face, at the same time that Naruto-kun did. Naruto had problems with the emotionally-stunted boy that were easy enough to understand. And they were quite apparent in his scowl.

"Yes, Sai-san? What…what is it?"

His voice was terribly condescending, scolding even. "You should keep your byakugan on. And look all around, not just ahead. If an enemy comes for us from behind, none of us will ever know."

I shook my head, battling with my exhaustion and the sensibility behind his words. I furrowed my brow. "No. Don't…don't worry. We're going quietly enough that no one is noticing us…"

"You ignored the second half of my statement. Was that meant to be a sign that you didn't want to reply to it?"

I coughed. "No…I'm looking…"

"Ah. It just seems that you're looking only ahead. That's irresponsible, isn't it? Isn't the byakugan meant for 360˚ vision?"

"More like 359˚," I replied, getting flustered. "And…any enemies we'll encounter would be ahead of us, anyway."

Sai-san didn't say anything else, which was fine by me. He creeped me out. And by the set of Naruto's uneasy frown, he felt the same way…

* * *

**Naruto POV**

_Oh my god! That Sai needs to shut up!_

That one, violent thought was the only thing in my mind while he was _scolding _Hinata. What was his problem? Did he _want _her to run out of chakra? Or was he trying to worsen her inferiority complex?

I looked over at her. She was biting her lower lip, staring at the branches below rather than facing forward. Erg. She didn't like being talked down to. I don't know who Sai thought he was, but he needed to cool it.

"Don't listen to him, Hinata," I said quietly so only she would hear me. "You're doing fine."

She nodded in my general direction, and then pulled her eyes back to our path.

For the next couple of hours, no one spoke. I was at the front, Hinata right beside me, then Yamato-sensei behind us, then Sai, and Bushy-Brow and Sakura-chan were keeping watch on the rear. Every twenty minutes or so, Hinata would turn her byakugan back on and stare ahead, scowling in concentration.

It had been about three hours when Hinata finally made a tiny gasping noise and smiled. "Th-there it is," she said as her face rid itself of those creepy veins. "Just a few more miles."

"You can only see a few miles ahead?" Said asked dully.

She still flinched. "I, er—"

"Forget him, Hinata. He's just jealous 'cause he's near-sighted."

She giggled quietly and sent a grateful glance in my direction. I gave her a thumbs-up. Bushy-Brow and Sakura-chan laughed from way behind. I don't know why. They're probably both completelyinsane.

--

Yamato-sensei stood on the bridge, early for the meeting, patiently pretending to be that Sasori guy. Sakura-chan was shivering quietly, remembering how dead the man inside that puppet had really been. Both Bushy-Brow and I had a hand on her. She seemed to take comfort in our touches.

"The informant is close," Hinata murmured. Her voice was shaking. I looked over to see that her eyes were tight and that her lower lip was bleeding from how hard she was biting it.

"Hinata?" I murmured, unconsciously running the side of my hand against my own lips. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "He's just coming…really fast. I…I think he wants to get this over with."

"He? Can you see his face?" Bushy-Brow asked quietly.

"Yes. He's wearing a hood, but I can still see…I…" She gasped. "I recognize him, somehow, I think. I don't know where I've seen him, but…"

Sakura-chan spoke this time. "What's he look like?"

"He…he's wearing glasses…dark eyes…a…a sharp face, and long grey…no, _silver _hair."

Sakura-chan and I said his name at the same time.

"Kabuto."

"Who?" Sai mumbled.

I looked over at him with a scowl. "He was a spy for Orochimaru," I answered, my words coming out in a teeth-clenched snarl. "He was our friend at one point…but it was a…a ruse."

"So he was _never _your friend."

"No, he _was…_"

"He was a spy."

"He was also a friend," I insisted, getting annoyed.

Sai sighed. "I'm afraid I don't understand you."

"Oh well. Kabuto was our friend and he betrayed us. That's it. End of story."

"N-Naruto-kun. Sai-san. K-Kabuto's on the bridge. Be…be quiet, p-please."

We all crouched lower into the branches. Hinata whimpered at my side.

"Hinata. What's wrong?"

"Th-there's someone else in the f-forest. H-his chakra s-system…it's _scary._"

"How can a chakra network be scary?" Bushy-Brow asked. (It made sense, since he had the whole chakra complex thing going on.)

"I don't know." She flattened herself against the ground, looking through a hole in the bushes. She…almost seemed to be hiding from the bad chakra. "I…I think…I think it's Orochimaru."

All of us but Sai and Hinata cussed in unison.

"Are you sure?" I demanded, crouching down to her level. My cheek pressed lightly against hers, and I could feel hers get warmer.

"Y…yes, I'm certain," she breathed, squirming her face away from mine.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura-chan whispered. I twisted closer to her and squeezed her shoulder. She shrugged me off, wiggling closer to Bushy-Brow.

"What _can _we do?" Sai replied cynically.

"Guys," Hinata whined weakly. "Please. Shush. They'll hear."

"Hinata's right. Shut it," I muttered.

We all flattened down like Hinata and watched Yamato-sensei and Kabuto converse tensely. Hinata kept whimpering, and both girls were shivering. I didn't know what to do for poor Hinata. I couldn't tell her to turn her Byakugan off, 'cause we needed it, but it was so depressing to listen to her fear. Could a chakra network really look that bad?

* * *

**Hinata POV**

Twisted and snarled. Animalistic. Tortured. Bent in angles that shouldn't exist, that obviously _didn't _exist until _he _made them like that with his sick, masochistic, _sadistic_ experiments. He had a monster's chakra network, and he obviously liked it that way.

I wasn't sure who to watch. The men on the bridge, or the snake that staled them. My eyes were starting to throb. I was able to use my byakugan longer than I had when I was younger, but I'd still been using it so much today…But, if I turned it off, we could get hurt, and it would be my fault, so _on_ it stayed.

The snake started to slither towards the bridge, yet staying close to the safety of the trees. My gaze shot back to Yamato-sensei and Kabuto. Both men were gripping kunai under their cloaks.

"I think th-they're going to attack Y-Yamato-sensei soon. Th-they either know he's a fake, or they have some feud with Sasori," I muttered. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and I grimaced grimly.

Lee-san spoke now. "So. Do we sneak attack _now_, just in case, or wait until they actually make a move, just to be sure they _do _move? We would not want to blow our cover if no good will come from it."

"Congratulations for stating the obvious," Sai-san mumbled without inflection.

"Sai!" Sakura-san hissed defensively.

"Would you guys _shut up?!_" Naruto-kun growled. "Let _Hinata_ tell us what's going on."

I nodded. "K-Kabuto is gathering chakra in his hands. A ch-chakra scalpel, I think."

"What about the snake bastard?" Naruto-kun growled.

I shot Naruto-kun a quick, wide-eyed look, and then sighed. I unwillingly moved my eyes back to the terrifying, mangled chakra network.

"He…he…it almost looks like he has…snakes living…inside of him or something." As if the bad chakra network wasn't enough. "He's calling them up. He…he is definitely going to attack soon. No doubt."

Those comfortable with cussing did, repeatedly. I chewed on my lip, touching the tender wound with the tip of my tongue. My next words came out in a shaky gasp. "I'm a close-range fighter."

Sakura-san sighed. "Me, too."

Naruto-kun growled. "Me, three."

Lee-san audibly clenched his jaw. "Tenten taught me to use a few of her weapons…but mostly close-range like the katana, bo, and nunchaku."

Sai-san scoffed. "So, basically, you four are only as helpful as the kunai and shuriken you wield. Wonderful choices in teammates, Sakura-san, Naruto-kun."

Naruto snarled beside me, and I flinched. "We woulda been caught totally off-guard without Hinata, and you know it!"

"Even so," Sai-san sighed, pulling out a paintbrush and ink, "you should have found at least _one _long-range fighter."

"Well, Mr. Know-it-all," Naruto-kun grumbled as Sai-san doodled on his pad, "Bushy-Brow is so freaking fast that he might as well _be _a long-freaking-range fighter."

I hoped quietly that that compliment was meant to be a sign of forgiveness, approval, from Naruto-kun to Lee-san. They'd been ignoring each other this whole mission.

We were all a bit shocked when Sai's doodle of a dog crawled off the page. I looked at it and saw that it was made of a hybrid of chakra and ink. He gave the four of us an obviously forced smile, and then sent the dog silently towards the bridge. It was so black that it looked like the real thing.

As a group, we held our breath as the dog neared the two figures on the bridge.

And then, like a lightning bolt out of a clear sky, a kunai flew through the bush we were hiding behind, slicing the left side of my face. I could feel my ear tear open, and the blood started flowing down instantly.

The pain was so sudden, so fierce, that for a micro-fraction of a moment, it was like there was no pain at all, and the only thing wrong with me was that I had not seen the kunai coming.

And then the pain hit.

* * *

**(A/N)**

**Yes. Take that. I brought Lee and Hinata on the mission. Because Yamato _did _ask them to find some more teammates, so there.**

**Hinata really rocks. My Sai is a little more of a jerk than he should be. Meh. What are you going to do? Fanfiction is OOC by definition.**

**Sorry this took so long. I had a HUGE brain-fart. I didn't want it to sound stupid, and I think it still did....Hope you like it anyway.**

**Much love.  
Miya Aitu.**


	8. Undeniable, Unconditional

**Naruto POV **

Hinata stared at me for a fraction of a second, her eyes excruciatingly wide. Then, her eyes crunched up and she seemed to finally register what had happened.

"Shit!!" she gasped, slapping her hands to her face and gasping for air.

Her uncharacteristic exclamation shocked us—herself, included—into silence. She gripped her ear, grinding her teeth together in agony. I watched with wide eyes as her own blood stained her thin, pale fingers.

"Hinata, are you…?" Sakura-chan whispered, starting to crawl towards Hinata, her hands glowing already.

"No, I'm fine," Hinata growled meekly. She pulled her hand away from her ear. A huge chunk of it was completely gone, and she was bleeding badly. A strange noise came out of the back of her throat.

It took me only half a moment to realize that some of her blood hand splattered on me. I touched my cheek and was awfully upset by the sticky red that stuck to my fingertips. I ground my teeth, too, and my ears started to throb dully in empathy.

"You gonna be okay? Hinata?"

"Mm-hmm. Let's g-go. The must've seen us. No use in hiding."

Blood was trickling down her face, and I realized that the kunai had sliced her cheek open, too.

I winced. "Yeah…let's go. Everyone ready?" A circle of _yes_-es resounded in my ears. "Okay, then. In five, four…three…two…one. GO!!"

Life moved fast then. We all ran towards the bridge at full speed. Kabuto pulled up his sleeves and sprung towards Yamato-sensei with glowing blue hands. Yamato-sensei jumped out of the way as Sai's paint-dog transformed into a serpent and shot itself at Kabuto. I saw Kabuto knock it away with his kunai, and the serpent bled black ink. Bushy-Brow shot ahead of us and hit the medic-nin in a pressure-point, but at the same time only barely managed to dodge a chakra-scalpel to the kidney. Sakura-chan snuck up from behind Lee and sliced Kabuto's shoulder with her own scalpel.

Hinata had jumped past the conflict on the bridge and was running towards the forest. I cussed loudly. Was she _really_ going to try to go after Orochimaru? Little fool! Damn it all!

I made a dozen shadow-clones and made them stay behind to beat the crap out of Kabuto, then followed Hinata into the depths of hell…

I made sure to catch up with her before she was able to get to the trees. I grabbed her hood to keep her from moving. She tripped backwards a little and her back collided with my chest. I moved my hands to her arms and held her there. I moved my mouth to her undamaged ear and spoke in a low growl.

"You better not be trying to do this on your own."

Her face was pale on one side completely red on the other. Still bleeding. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. Let's go."

I released her from my hold and we ran forward, into the trees, into the real danger.

He was crouched down, effectively curled up, between two trees. His golden eyes glowed contemptuously when we found him.

"Byakugan?" he hissed admiringly. "I knew it." He seemed to study her face for a second, his gold eyes lingering on her new wounds. "I was aiming for your eyes. I can't stand Peeping-Toms. Hmmm." He paused, and I could see his teeth in the green darkness as he grinned. "I'm going to assume that you're not working for Sasori."

"No," I growled. "We killed him. He gave us information."

"Not in that order, I assume," he teased, standing up straight, though he still was curled inward just a bit, forever poised to strike, like a snake.

I ignored his taunting and made another clone, just in case I needed the rasengan.

"Where's Sasuke?" I demanded, curling my hands into fists.

"He didn't feel like coming," he replied, almost wistfully. A sting of heat ran down my spine.

"So his body is still…_his?_"

"But of course."

"Good…"

"Of, course, it won't be that way for long." He laughed sadistically. "I'll make _his mine_ in just a few days." He chuckled again.

I could almost _feel _my eyes turn red. Claws dug into my hands and I felt myself start to bleed. "LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" I roared.

He just laughed. "Of _course _I will, dear boy. Who'll stop me? You? I doubt it. You have no influence in this matter anymore. You know, my little Sasuke-kun hasn't mentioned you _once _in the last few years…"

"SHUT UP! You're lying to me! Stop it! _Give Sasuke BACK TO ME!!"_

My body was heating up faster, starting in the pit of my stomach and spreading outward. I recognized the feeling, didn't like it…couldn't fight it. Not with this snake-bastard staring right at me with his cold, cruel, sick eyes. Going against my instructions from the Pervy Sage, I wanted to forget about the bleeding girl beside me and embrace the blazing heat of my personal hell and attack the monster in front of me.

The only thing that stopped the red aura from engulfing my being was the movement of the girl beside me as she sank into an attack position. That Hinata, that idiot…

The snake-bastard finally noticed her again. "I wouldn't bother, my dear. You'll die quickly if you come after me."

She shook her head. "I'm willing to bet otherwise."

A bit of myself returned to me at the sound of the hidden promise in her voice.

"Hinata," I said, looking at her with desperate red eyes. "No."

She didn't return my gaze. She didn't listen to me. She struck forward, towards _him_, moving faster than I'd expected. I could barely keep up with their movements as Hinata swirled around in a flurry of white and blue chakra, and the snake dodged and slithered and struck back, snatching at her with his claws. I shuddered as he tore a bit of her shirt, leaving a bloody patch on her side. She barely seemed to notice, and struck his chest with a glowing white hand.

I shook my head. What was I _doing?_ I made a couple more clones—chakra limitations be damned—and ran forward, swinging wildly at his throat with my claws. I missed his jugular by a fraction, but still managed to rip out a good chunk of skin. He flipped backwards a bit, just to be nicked by Hinata's organ-damaging blow again. He suddenly bared his teeth and tried to bite Hinata's throat, but I grabbed her and jumped out of the way. I set her back on the ground and we rushed him again.

At one point, Hinata and I—I being my real self and my clones—connected with his body all at once, and he went flying into a tree. He sat motionlessly for a moment, his neck bent at a strange angle, and then he looked at us, huffing and puffing…and grinning.

He spoke to Hinata. "You're still bleeding, my darling. That doesn't seem _normal._" He grinned a bit wider, his teeth bleeding from where I socked him. "You may want to get that looked at." He hissed for a second as he stood, wobbly. He grabbed his jaw and jerked it to one side, and I heard a click as his head relocated itself on his neck. I shuddered as he spoke again. "That kunai _just _might have been poisoned."

My face went cold, and the furious heat surrounding my body flared. My jaw grew, and I could practically feel my teeth start to grow and sharpen. My claws got longer.

"What are you _talking about?!_" I roared, making Hinata flinch beside me.

He kept talking to her, though, ignoring me. "And of course, you've been quite active since getting that cut. Using chakra and running around so much. That really isn't how you're supposed to handle poison, my dear." He chuckled. "I _warned you_ that you'd die quickly if you came after me."

Hinata gasped, and I looked at her quickly. I could see my red eyes reflected in hers as she started back at me. She looked like an innocent person who'd just been put on death row.

A death sentence…Is that what this was supposed to be for Hinata? Couldn't be. He was lying. She'd be okay. She wouldn't die. No. No!

Hinata looked away from me, shook her head, and sunk into her defense position.

My jaw grew again. My skin stretched over my bones. I could feel my features sharpen. My body was too small. Everything was trying to break out. And…I think I wanted it to. I wanted to stop this…but at the same time, I _didn't_. I had to stop Hinata from fighting even more, from dying _even faster._ And I had to punish _him._ _He_ who seemed hell-bent on taking those I care about away from me. Putting them in danger…

--

_Hey…stupid fox. Come on. Let's kill him. He deserves it._

_**Sure thing, kid. Why not? Let's get rid of some of that damn-annoying innocence of yours.**_

_Yeah…_

My body…started to change beyond my control. The fox was having fun…

_Body—stronger, leaner, faster. Mind—wilder, more instinctive, less controlled. Chakra—bigger, faster, sharper, hotter, more lethal. Soul—darker, angrier, less merciful, less __**me.**__Self—gone._

_Naruto? No. Who's…who is that? No…that's not me…__**I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune…**_

* * *

**Hinata POV**

If I've ever known anything, it's that Naruto is an inherently _good person._ The very best of mankind. The kind of person that others can't help but love unconditionally and never, _ever _have tobe afraid of.

It was alright to be afraid of the chakra monster that was running away from me, mindlessly chasing and battling with the snake-sannin. It wasn't Naruto, wasn't the boy I loved. I don't think it was something that _anyone _could love. A real monster.

I remembered stories my father told me when I was young about a…a fox…no, a monster…a demon. He said he couldn't tell me anything more that that the Yondaime had died to save Konoha from this beast. That he wasn't _allowed _to say more than that.

As I cowered in the forest, bleeding and shivering, I finally understood.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune lived inside of my poor, dear Naruto.

There was no horror within me at the realization. Sure, I could barely stand to _look _at the smoldering-mess-of-red-and-black-fox-shaped-chakra-beast-thing, but that was because of my Byakugan. I could see the red-and-black chakra eating away at the blue chakra. Horror _for _Naruto, maybe, but none towards him. Rather, there was so much understanding! Now I knew why he had grown up so alone, so unloved! Because people were _really and truly afraid of him._

People are idiots. If he only ever turns into this…this thing when defending his friends…what is there to fear?

Before Hanabi-chan was born, when I was very, very young and my mother was still alive, she told me that love is what protects us from becoming something ugly. _"Hatred makes us ugly, Hinata,"_ she told me. _"Solitude, fear, anger, loneliness—they all make us ugly. They make our very__** souls**__ ugly…Love those with ugly souls, Hinata, because they need it most. Love can make the ugliest being…beautiful. And that's when we can be happy."_

Was this chakra-beast, this dark soul, just some unloved thing? A pang of pity wracked my soul, and I realized then that I loved Naruto now more than ever. I would do anything for him. I finally understood…

"Hinata!" Sakura-san, Lee-san, and Yamato-sensei landed beside me. "What the hell is going on? What is that thing?"

I gave Sakura-san a tired look. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Naruto-kun's secret, but I didn't seem to have much choice. "It's…it's…the Kyuubi…and Naruto-kun…"

Yamato-sensei cussed loudly.

A long, feral, unearthly roar broke out in front of us. I wrenched my eyes back to the battle and slapped my hands over my ears. The two monsters ran at each other again, one aiming to kill, one aiming to devour. They were going to destroy each other. And the Kyuubi's chakra was still trying to eat Naruto's.

I growled and looked away from the two battling demons. "It…it's hurting Naruto to be consumed by that form the way he is…we've…I've got to get him to snap out of it."

"_What?_" Yamato-sensei snapped. "Hinata, no. You could get hurt. Don't. I'll do it. It's my job."

I looked at him for a second and almost listened. But I didn't.

My body moved of its own accord. Though the weaker part of my mind was scared and trying to convince me to stay put and _seriously please just stay put_ and let Yamato-sensei handle it…but my eyes and my body and my heart were telling me that I had to do _something. _This creature that was Naruto and _was not _Naruto was hurting. I had to do something…

I was running towards him. My mind was completely gone. Nothing left but my eyes, my body, my heart…

I could still see fragments—mere remnants—of Naruto's chakra network inside the beast's larger one. It was being torn apart, burned. Tears sprung into my eyes, but I still saw too clearly that Naruto was…was going to die if I couldn't stop him. This chakra was worse than the snake-sannin's.

A hand suddenly clamped down around my forearm. I jerked to a stop. I couldn't bring myself to look around and see who my captor was. My eyes stayed glued to the terrible, fighting monsters. The tears brimmed over, mixing with the still-flowing blood on the left side of my face.

"Let me go," I said to the hand.

It was Yamato's voice that replied. "Don't touch him. I said I'd handle it."

I turned my head a little to glare at him from the corner of my eye. "Let me go. Let me help. I have to. I'll grab him. You back me up. I know what I'm doing. _Let me go._"

His eyes were hard and dark, but he released arm. He opened his mouth to speak, but I shot off again. I knew I should've stayed and listened, but Naruto was dying. Yamato could go to hell…Naruto…he was so close, right there. My heart was beating wildly, as if it knew that I could die the second I…

I threw myself to the ground where it crouched and wrapped my fingers tightly around its wrist. Adrenaline made my grip like steel, despite the fact that I suddenly wanted to cut the hand off. Intense, murderous heat filled my body, starting at that hand of mine, and I chewed on my lip and gripped its wrist harder.

The chakra beast turned it head towards me and growled. It stood up on its hind legs like a bear, dragging me up by my melting steel hand. I clenched my jaw against the soul-consuming agony and clutched its other wrist before it could take a blistering swipe at me.

The pain was going to kill me. The chakra that made up the beast's wrists was swirling and climbing up my arms, dragging the fire through my veins and arteries as it moved, excruciatingly boiling my blood. The beast itself, though, barely moved other than its never-ending shudder. It just stared into my hollow eyes and growled, annoyed but not to the point where it would bother attacking, as if it was not sure whether or not to just eat me.

It tried to squirm away from me, but somehow, with the superhuman strength of a teenager whose heart is bound so tightly that it could not give up even if it wanted to—which it didn't…I held the beast still. Bleeding and crying and burning and dying. For what seemed like hours, I stood, holding the beast-that-was-and-was-not-Naruto's wrists while his chakra burned my hands, my arms, my being…I clenched my fists and tried to shut down the chakra points at his wrists. He growled in rebellion, and bared his monstrous teeth at me.

All this took up the whole of maybe seven seconds.

And then, it was nearly over. Yamato's wood was wrapped around the beast's form. His body was cooling down. The chakra around him was shrinking. The tails were disappearing. Hopeful words flowed out of my mouth like a pipe that had burst. Through my tears, I said it would be okay, that I was here for him, that he had to calm down, I had him—everything would be alright, I loved him, I loved him, I loved him…"_I love you Naruto, I love you, I love you, everything is going to be alright. I love you, I have you, I have you…it's okay. Calm down. It's okay…"_

He stared at me as I spoke, first with hollow eyes, then red, and finally, confused, groggy _blue._ I don't think he understood a word of what I was saying. I smiled for half a moment, let go of his now-cool wrists…and didn't even care when my knees buckled and sent me toppling to the grass. I was only slightly aware of my surroundings when I felt him collapse beside me, but the darkness of consciousness consumed me a mere second afterwards. I…I might have died right then. I didn't know, and didn't care. I'd held him still. I'd given Yamato-sensei a chance to stop the beast without hurting it. I'd done well. I could sleep now, for however long…

* * *

**_(A/N) See what I meant about throwing cannon out the window? Yeah...HINATA'S THE HEROINE OF THE STORY, DEAL WITH IT! XD :D _**

**_I like this chappy even if it's not that good. I can't write action to save my life, I really can't. Meh. Meeeeeeeeeh._**

**_So...Hinata still loves Naruto despite the whole Kyuubi thing...because it really is love. Nothing can change love, even if it's something ugly that holds your affection...yeah._**

**_Much love.  
Miyazaki A2_**


	9. I Know, She Knows, They Know

**Naruto POV**

I had faint memories…of something. Something important…my body was burning…There was a sensation of that fire being dragged being forcefully dragged back to my belly. A strange coolness was wrapped tightly around both wrists, holding me in an inescapable bind, like stone had grown around my hands.

The coolness was draining some of the anger from me…I couldn't remember why I was angry at that moment…a voice spoke soft, kind words to me that I couldn't wholly understand…the voice was so soothing…

My eyes seemed to finally open, though honestly they felt strained, like they'd been wide open for hours…I saw the blurry outline of pale eyes staring back at me. The eyes were distinctly wet, and I could see…_something _reflected in the tears.

I saw…a monstrous face with red eyes…a face that slowly seemed to turn into my own. Holy crap! _I _was actually _baring my teeth_ against this person with the lovely moonlike eyes!

I realized suddenly what was happening, and it hit me like a ton…no, a _million_ tons of bricks. Goddamn it. My temper had gotten the better of me again! This was just like the time with the Pervy Sage. And in front of my friends!! Oh goddamn it, who had I hurt this time? Oh God, did I kill someone? God, God, God, _please _let no one be dead!! Oh dammit, oh shit, oh fuck!

The girl before me—I realized then that it was poor little Hinata—smiled at me, and then fell away from my sight. That faint, foolish smile stayed embedded in my mind as the…as the wood fell away from around my waist and I fell to the ground beside the girl's body.

Son of a…oh my God. Had I…did I kill…is Hinata…I killed her, didn't I? Please, please, please…no…please. This wasn't supposed to happen. Oh, God…no.

* * *

"Hinata is brave. A bit stupid, but very brave," Sakura muttered as she pumped chakra into the unconscious girl's weakly-beating heart.

"Not stupid," Lee replied, wiping his girlfriend's sweated brow with a rag. "Just very, _very _in love."

Sakura thought back on the way Hinata had thoughtlessly ran towards the chakra that Yamato said could kill her. Lee's statement made sense. "You think?"

Lee smiled warmly. "I'm certain."

She rolled her eyes, staying true to her point. "Yeah, well, lovemakes ya stupid_," _she growled. "Ugh! Oh…okay. She's stable. But she needs more treatment…I can't do anything more for her out here." She sighed and looked at her patient's blood-stained face and burned body and then at the unconscious Naruto, and finally back to Lee. "Lee…I…I need you to take her to the closest hospital. I don't have enough chakra in me to heal her _and _Naruto, and Naruto really needs to be treated _now_. You think you'll be fast enough?"

He smiled wider, reached forward and wiped a tear away as it snuck down Sakura's pale cheek. "I'm certain I will. Don't worry."

Sakura smiled dryly. "Just don't hold her too tight."

His smile took on a sarcastic edge. "I wouldn't think of it, love. Besides, this'll give me more time to work on your surprise."

Before Sakura could respond, Lee quickly removed his leg-weights, carefully scooped up Hinata's limp form, and stood up straight, cradling her in his arms. "Love you," he said, holding Sakura's gaze for a moment.

"Love you, too. Go straight to Konoha once she's okay."

He nodded and then ran off faster than any human should be able to.

Sakura sighed and looked back to her unconscious teammate. She gathered chakra in her palms and placed her glowing hands on Naruto's exposed chest. "Naruto, you idiot…Getting stuck on me when that girl was willing to grab onto a mass of red-hot chakra just to save you. Big idiot…"

"Sakura."

She looked up to see Yamato standing beside her, shaking his head. "They got away with Sai."

She sent a burst of chakra into Naruto's heart. "Damn it all!" she shouted. "This is ridiculous!"

"Where did Lee go?"

"Guh. I sent him to take Hinata to a hospital."

Yamato nodded. "That's probably for the best…"

Both were quiet for a long while as Sakura treated the wild burns that were scattered all over her friend's body, anxious tears in her eyes.

Yamato finally spoke, hesitant and awkward. "I can't believe…Hinata actually touched…the…that thing…"

Sakura ground her teeth at the word _thing. _Naruto was not a _thing, _no matter what form he took on…

"_I _can," she said gruffly. "Naruto was hurting. She cares about him. I'd do it if it was Lee. Besides, she has the Byakugan. She knew what she was doing."

"Still. She was so burned. I can't believe she still has hands, let alone her life…"

"Same for Naruto…but, the burns have mostly faded already. That beast healed him." She tenderly stroked the blonde's wet forehead, and laughed. "Just goes to show, I guess…nothing is _all _bad…" Sakura smiled softly and healed a tiny cut on his cheek.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

Someone was dabbing my face with a cool, wet rag. It felt amazing. My eyelids fluttered open. Sakura-chan's face was directly in front of the sun again. It looked like an eclipse. She smiled down on me, and wiped her wet eyes.

"Naruto! Thank God!" She leaned down and wrapped her slender arms around my shoulders for a minute. I noticed she was weeping gently.

My mind was groggy. My memories were faint…I grinned weakly, closing one eye against the brightness of day and patting her back. "Hey," I replied.

She backed off and wiped her eyes again. "You alright?"

_That's _when my mind stopped being so fuzzy. The memories flooded back. Red eyes, blue eyes, and white reflective eyes that had told the story of my fury. My eyes went wide and I sat up in one quick jerk of a movement. One long shudder ran agonizingly up and down my spine. My mouth moved and formed the word I was thinking over and over again, but only a sick choking sound escaped my throat. I felt like I was going into shock. I brought my right hand to my face and saw that it was still stained with the blood—her blood—that had splattered on my face.

Finally, the word came out. "Hinata."

Sakura-chan put a hand on my shoulder. "Shhhh," she said. "Don't worry. Hinata's fine. I sent Lee-kun to take Hinata to a hospital. She was pretty messed up. But she'll be fine. I swear."

I looked around, to the spot where Hinata had lain beside me. "They're gone?" I asked, my tense muscles starting to relax.

"Yeah. Sai is, too. Orochimaru took him."

I remembered my prayer that I hadn't killed anyone and suddenly felt silly. "So the bastard's still breathing?"

"Yup. You didn't get a chance to off him before Hinata saved you."

"Saved me?"

"The fox's chakra was destroying yours, Naruto…"

Fox. Damn. So they _did _know. Damn. She wasn't supposed to know. _No one_ was. Damn. Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes, but I swallowed them back quickly. I wasn't going to cry. Not in front of Sakura-chan. She was too used to the happy-go-lucky me. She wouldn't take it well…

I averted my gaze to the sky, trying my best to ignore that last comment. "I wish I could thank her…"

Then Sakura-chan smacked me upside the head_. Hard_. "Don't talk like she's dead, idiot!! You'll freaking jinx it!"

My eyes widened. "Ach! Sorry!!"

"Ugh. Never mind. C'mon. We gotta go rescue Sai. And Sasuke. Let's go."

"Right…"

* * *

**Hinata POV**

If anything…I hate hospitals. I mean really hate. To-the-core hate.

So it definitely didn't make me very happy when I awoke to the sound of a heart-monitor and the sight of a very bland room, with Lee-san sitting on a chair next to my stiff bed.

His chin was low against his chest, and he snored lightly. I wondered idly how long I'd been out as I reached out to touch his shoulder. I stopped myself, though, when I saw my arm was covered in bandages and was hooked to up to an IV. An overwhelming shudder rand up and down my spine, making my arms start to ache sharply, and I whined a bit.

This woke him. He was suddenly up on his feet, his hands flying worriedly about, first to check my IV, then to feel my temperature, then to take my pulse, all the while speedily saying that the doctors said not to move too much.

When he finally sat back down, it registered in my head that my arms were still aching, like someone was beating on them like a xylophone. I wondered at that for a moment, and then realized that I was _in fact _alive. I'd been so ready to die when I stopped Naruto-kun…I was really here. The Kyuubi's chakra hadn't killed me. I let out a sigh of relief. Naruto-kun must be okay, too. I giggled.

"Lee-san?" I mumbled quietly, smiling. "How long have I been asleep?"

He smiled meekly back at me. He spoke in an apologetic tone. "A few days. The doctors had to put you in a medical-induced coma to get all the poison out. You really did spread that poison around too much."

"Where are we? Konoha?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm actually not sure where we are…Just some obscure hospital I managed to find."

I nodded, and we fell silent. But, after a minute or so, all Lee-san's pent-up anxiety seemed to explode from within him, and he began speaking so quickly that I honestly had to concentrate pretty hard to understand a word he was saying.

"I-really-hope-they-let-us-go-now-that-you're-awake. Are-you-in-pain? I-hope-you-can-walk. I-hope-we-get-to-go-home-soon. Sakura-chan's-and-my-six-month-anniversary-is-in-just-a-few-days-and-I-don't-want-to-miss-it. I've-got-something-planned-but-I'm worried. What-if-Sakura-chan-brings-Sasuke-home-and-has-to-work-_even-more?_ Maybe-I-should-just-wait-for-our-one-year-anniversary. Are-you-in-pain? Your-face-was-kind-of-hot. Maybe-it-is-just-the-medicine. I -emember-when-I-was-in-the-hospital-I-always-seemed-to-feel-too-hot. Are-you-in-pain? The-doctor-said-that-there-would-be-some-scarring-because-of-the-poison. Tsunade-sama-can-probably-fix it-though."

He gasped for breath for a second. I took my chance before he could start again.

"Scarring?"

He took a deep breath and spoke at human-speed. "Yes. On your face and ear…and on your arms, too. Chakra burns. You really weren't supposed to touch that red chakra, Hinata-san," he said, smiling.

The way he said _that chakra_ suddenly made a weight that I wasn't aware of was suddenly lifted off my chest. Lee-san wasn't afraid of the chakra, wasn't afraid of Naruto-kun. For some reason, the fact that my poor Naruto-kun hadn't lost a friend made my heart flutter with relief.

"Oh, okay," I finally replied, dazed. Scarring? Eh, it was just as well. Appearances meant nothing to me. What was a scar here or there? It couldn't be that bad…

"Hinata-san. Are you in pain?" His eyes were tight with concern.

Actually, my arms were really starting to bother me, but I wasn't going to admit it out loud. "Oh. Not a lot. I can walk, I think, so you don't have to worry…"

He smiled. "Well, that's good to hear." He was suddenly and very oddly cheerful. "Hinata-san. You should tell Naruto-kun how you feel about him."

My face paled and the uncomfortable ache in my arms flared. How did _he _know? Wait…I _did _grab onto a blisteringly-hot chakra monster for Naruto-kun…I guess that would mean _something _to an insightful guy like Lee-san…But still!

My stutter, which had been missing most of the day yester…three days ago, came back full-blast. "W-w-why sh-sh-should I d-d-d-do th-_that, _L-Lee-san?!"

"Because. If Naruto-kun finds out that someone loves him, he might back off of Sakura-chan."

He was teasing for the most part, but I could see the longing behind his words in his dark eyes. He winked to lighten the atmosphere, and chuckled.

"Besides, if you don't tell him, how else will he ever figure it out? I don't want to be mean…but he has a tendency to be a little dense when outside of battle." He grinned, still teasing.

Okay, that might have been true, but I wasn't going to admit it out loud. I bit my lip. "I just don't know how to h-handle him…"

He smiled gently. "You'll figure it out, Hinata-san. You're tough."

I averted my gaze, not sure how to reply to that, so I decided not to.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

I could tell he wasn't going to come with us. The moment I saw the pained hatred in his dark eyes, I knew. He had no intention of coming home alive. If we wanted to bring him home, we would have to drag his unconscious from, and when we got home, he would have to be locked up under maximum security. My family couldn't be whole that way…would it ever be whole again?

_Not for now…_The pain was not _quite _unbearable. I'd been considering this factor for two and a half years. The pain was…pretty damn substantial, but I could bear it…for the moment at least.

I wasn't even really that scared when Sasuke tried to shove a sword in me. I was angry and saddened by his nonchalance about the aforementioned attempted-fratricide…but not scared. Just really pissed and really depressed.

I knew that my new friendship with Sai was strong when he saved me from my brother's blade, but…I could barely bring myself to care. I was mourning over Sasuke again. I'd…I'd failed him. I still wasn't strong enough to get him to snap out of it…

Sakura-chan would be of no comfort to me here. She was pretty much as traumatized by our mutual realization as I was.

Bushy-Brow was right. She _did _need to see Sasuke again to be sure of her path. And I could tell by the look on her face as she ran to attack Sasuke…she was extremely happy with her path.

It finally dawned on me. No matter how hard I fought for her, my path would probably never include her the way I wanted it to. Maybe I just…had to find a new path…or someone new to walk it with…I don't know.

I could not allow myself to hurt another friend with my red-hot anger. When I realized that we could do no more in this battle for my brother, I conceded defeat. The day he'd rejoin us _would definitely _come. But it was not today…

--  
--

Sakura-chan was crying. Hard.

"I can't believe we lost him. Again. Does he hate us or something?" Her eyes were red with salt and too many tears. She wiped her face irritably as we walked.

I shook my head. "No. No, he doesn't hate us. I don't think… No, he's fine. He'll come home someday. Quit crying. It's okay."

She shot me a burning glare that was sort of weakened by her wet face. "I can cry if I want to. I'm not sure if _you've _noticed, but it's kind of been a long"—she sniffled—"a long day…"

"I've noticed," I replied gruffly, licking a cut on my hand.

Sai looked at me curiously. "You are more upset about our failure than you let on, Naruto-kun."

I scoffed. "Our _failure?_ No, it wasn't a failure. It wasn't."

He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "But our mission was to—"

"I know what the damn mission was!" I growled. "But I will _not _admit defeat."

"Calm down, Naruto," Sakura-chan said, rubbing her eyes.

I blinked. Yeah, I probably should clam down. I didn't want to…hurt anyone again. A pang of guilt stabbed me in the middle of my chest, making it difficult to breathe. "Sakura-chan. You said that Hinata'd be okay, right?"

She gave me a strange smile. "Yeah! Totally. Just some chakra burns. I got a lot of the poison out. Lee-kun's fast, anyway."

She spoke so casually about the…the chakra burns…I ran through my memories again, saw myself baring my teeth like a real monster. "Sakura-chan. I'm sorry I let myself…get like that. He…the snake-bastard, I mean…he said he was going to take Sasuke's body soon. And he said that Hinata was going to die. I couldn't help myself, Sakura-chan. I, I just…I—"

"Naruto, shush. Everything's fine. I'm not angry or anything."

Yamato-sensei and Sai discreetly walked a little faster, out of earshot to our low murmurs. "Sakura-chan, I'm more worried about you being _afraid _of me than anything else."

She seemed shocked. "Afraid? Of _you_? Naruto, that's silly. Why would I be afraid of _you_? If…if you only get like that when your friends are dying, then what the hell should _I _be afraid of? I don't plan on killing anyone close to you."

I didn't like how nonchalant she was. This was _supposed _to be traumatizing. I'd pictured this conversation so many times. I just knew, eventually something I'd say would push her over the edge and she would push me away, crying again, asking never to see me again. I flinched away from the vision.

I sighed. "Don't you think I'm a…a monster?"

She snorted. "Naruto, you're a lot of things. Sweet, loving, strong, amazing, funny, goofy, loud, obnoxious, perverted, oblivious, stubborn, hot-tempered…but monstrous? No. No, you're not a monster…" Her eyes dripped a little, and she smirked through her tears. "I don't care what lives inside of you. And anyone else who cares for you…they won't care, either."

"Are you sure?"

"Naruto. No matter how _totally platonic _my feelings are, I _do _love you. I loved you yesterday and I sure as hell ain't gonna stop loving you just because of something you can't help. Jesus."

It was nice to hear that she loved me. It made my heart just a little lighter. It didn't even bother me that that love would probably always be platonic. Just to hear the words was enough…

She was crying again. I put an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened, but seemed to understand that I was _trying _to behave.

She spoke in a whisper. "I just really wanted him back. It was so good to see him. I'm glad he's okay. I'm not angry at him anymore, I don't think. I've been so angry at him for so long. As far as I was concerned, he abandoned me. But…but it wasn't _about _me. He wasn't trying to hurt me. He didn't leave me. He just left."

She sighed. "You know, at one point, I was so freaking angry at him that I kept on calling him Sasuke-san, and putting _–kun_ and _–chan_ at the end of everyone else's name. Just out of spite! I even said that he wasn't my friend and that I didn't care about him anymore. But he is, and I still do!"

She was definitely talking to herself here. Her words came between sobs. "It's funny. You'd think that I'd…that my feelings would rekindle now that I've seen him again." She was rambling. Tired. "I mean, he _is _kind of hot. But…when I looked at him…literally, the only thing I could think was…_It's time to bring my stupid big brother home._ Isn't that amazing?"

Her tears were happy now. She put her arms around me and squeezed tightly. "We'll bring him home someday, Naruto. No worries." She kissed me on the cheek and walked again, her around my waist.

It was at that moment that I wanted to start crying, myself. Stupid Sakura-chan. Being happy all of the sudden. Now I couldn't cry in front of her. The sad atmosphere had dissolved, from her at least. Now it stuck to me like a too-humid-to-be-comfortable fog.

I took my arm away from her now that she didn't need it and walked a little faster, gulping back the embarrassing tears.

* * *

**_(A/N)_**

**_And they were like: "Whoooo-ee-oo-eee-ooo-oo-ee-ooohh..."_**

**_Musical moment. Sorry... OMG, this came fast! Let's say I finally got some inspiration. X3 _**

**_YAY! Everybody still loves Naruto. And Naruto's feeling depressed. Oops. Don't know how to fix that quite yet. Or do I? XD_**

**_Whoo. Cussing. Double whoops._**

**_Much love.  
Miyazaki a2_**


	10. Forgive Me, Please

**Hinata POV**

"Didn't I tell you to be careful?"

"Yes, you did."

"Were you careful?"

"Erm…sort of?"

"Gah!" Kiba once again ran his thumb over the ridge on my left cheekbone, and then felt my ear with rough fingers. There was maybe an inch of cartilage missing, making a jagged hole. Then he grabbed my hands and examined the bandages that hid the odd, swirling jagged maroon scars that twisted and curled around my arms, snaking up my shoulders, all the way up to wrap around my collarbone and shoulder blades.

"That Naruto," Kiba-kun growled. "Sending you home in scars. God."

"Kiba, it's alright. They're just marks…they don't matter." I took my bandaged hands away from him. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" he demanded fiercely, growling. Akamaru nudged him with his nose, but Kiba paid no mind, still staring at me.

I hadn't told my teammates about the fox-demon, and didn't plan to. I'd just said that we'd run into Orochimaru, and I'd gotten hurt trying to protect Naruto-kun. That was good enough for Shino, but…Kiba never liked it when people got hurt, especially people he cared about. So he wanted answers.

I flinched away from him. "I already told you. Poisoned kunai. I can't…no, I _won't _say anymore about it." My voice was harder than I'd wanted it to be. Kiba-kun eyed me incredulously, pouting, getting ready to reply.

"Just leave her be," Shino-kun said irritably. "Can we get on with this, please?"

Kiba-kun sighed and nodded. We all turned to the center of the clearing. Shino spoke.

"She was a brave, beautiful fighter. No one will ever…replace her." He sighed mournfully and knelt on the ground. "Goodbye, Aiko-chan." He placed the little ladybug in the hole Akamaru had dug for her, and covered her up. "You were loved. You'll be missed."

I could tell what Kiba-kun was thinking by the way his eyebrow incessantly twitched. Something along the lines of: _"My freaking god. He's gone off his rocker."_

--

I was sitting out in Naruto-kun's training area again, leaning against a post, contemplating my quiet existence with a small frown as I gazed at the overcast sky.

His entrance was silent. I sensed him immediately and looked up. I was about to fumble to my feet, but something in his face stopped me. His eyes were pained. His face was dark with shadows, tilted towards the ground. He stood in a small pocket of sunshine that filtered through the clouds. He looked like a fallen angel.

The mission must have been a failure after all.

He looked at me. He eyed the scar on my face, the hole in my ear, the bandages on my arms, and the scattered, faint chakra burns that had made their way to my calves with a weary look on his seraphic face. Without speaking, he sat down next to me and rested his head on my shoulder.

I tensed for a fraction of moment, but his gesture seemed more helpless than romantic, so I didn't move, or even blush that hard. I carefully experimented with resting my cheek gently against the golden, spiky mess that he called hair. He didn't object. In fact, he leaned into me a bit more.

He didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation, but I had to say _something._ "Naruto? Are you…are you okay?"

"Are _you_?" His voice was like a dagger, sharp and cold and morose. Obviously, I should've kept quiet.

So I just murmured, "I'm alright" and shut up.

* * *

**Naruto POV **

It was a few minutes after that that I started crying. I didn't want to. For Christ's sake, I didn't want to cry. But I did. Because I was in pain, dammit.

…My pain was deep and raw…

Pain for the brother who would not come home. Pain for the love I was being forced to forget but couldn't, despite the fact that that I was beginning to…want to. Pain for the thought that there would ever be a time where I wouldn't love Sakura-chan. Pain that she'd found someone else who loved her. Pain that she didn't love me and never would.

Pain for the arms that were around me, gentle arms, kind arms, arms I didn't deserve. Pain for the scars on Hinata's face and the bandages on her arms and the faint burns on her calves. Pain for the pain I must have caused her in my wild rage. Pain for the fact that she was still willing to touch me. Pain for the fact that I had nothing to give her in return.

Pain for the sake of pain.

Don't ask me what the hell I was doing, crying into Hinata's jacket like I was. I don't know. It was just so easy to be…I don't know, _sad_ around Hinata. Real, shameless. And what I needed in that moment was to let go of shame and be real and sad…to cry on someone's shoulder instead of swallowing tears. And what…what better shoulder than Hinata's? Such an understanding, sweet, nonjudgmental, wonderful, lovely…_shoulder._

My silent, quivering tears seemed to unnerve her a bit, but she didn't complain. She willingly wrapped her arms around my hunched-over form and rubbed my body wherever her hands could reach. She was murmuring something that I couldn't understand, but the sound was comforting.

It sounded just like what she was murmuring when the fire was leaving me back on that mission. I wished that I could understand her. She was just too quiet…The longer she talked, the calmer I got. My face slipped from her shoulder and my cheek ended up over her collarbone. I could feel her breathing falter every once in a while. Was she upset? Why? Because I was upset? Why?

I sat up to look her in the eye. He eyes were pained, and a little wet, but her cheeks were without tear-tracks.

I cleared my throat and leaned out of our lingering embrace, feeling awkward. She quietly put her hands in her lap, her eyes never leaving mine, some nameless, tender emotion making them glow through her unshed tears.

My eyes flickered to her nighttime hair, seeing that it was jagged and shorter in some places than others.

"What's with your hair?" I croaked—my throat was scratchy from the sobs I refused to let out.

"Your…_that_ chakra…burned it a little…"

I thought as much. I nodded towards her arms, suddenly unwilling to speak.

She understood immediately, as if she and I were on the same wavelength all of the sudden. "The same. Don't worry. I'm fine."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Your arms must be pretty bad if you're wearing bandages over the scars. Do they hurt?"

She didn't hesitate, not for a moment. "They don't hurt at all. They're just scars, Naruto-kun."

I put my forehead back on her shoulder, feeling strangely possessive of her in this intimate, human moment. She turned a little, and put a hand on the back of my neck, scratching gently with her fine, round fingernails. A small piece of me wanted to tell her to stop, to get her hands away from me…let me just run away to my tiny apartment, and then to dream sorrowfully of Sakura-chan.

The rest of me, however, was contented by the feel of her cool fingertips on my too-hot neck and her kind, sincere words. It occurred to me that _no one _had ever touched me so tenderly, not that I could remember. It felt good…amazing. Like being touched by an angel.

"I'm so sorry," I said quietly.

Her gentle fingers paused slightly, then started running themselves through affectionately through my hair, scratching my scalp so soothingly that I leaned into her again, just to get closer. "I wish you wouldn't be," she murmured into my ear. "I'm not angry _at all._ It doesn't even bother me. I w-wouldn't even bother wearing the b-bandages if I didn't think the s-scars would upset you."

_Yeah, well, the bandages bother me too. You can't win, Hinata. You and I just can't win._

"I'm still sorry. I did a terrible thing," I insisted.

"Why do you say that, Naruto-kun? _You _didn't do anything. It was th…th-the…m…mon…" Her voice trailed off, as if she regretted bringing up the subject.

"The monster?" I muttered into the fabric of her shoulder.

"Um…yeah. It was _his _chakra that h…hurt me, not _yours._"

"I'm the one who lost my temper."

I could almost hear her roll her eyes. "N…Naruto-kun, no matter _what _you say, I refuse to blame you for _anything._" She sighed, lifting my head a little with the movement.

I had to look at her again. As much as I wanted to hide my face, I had to see her eyes.

She was smiling slightly, and she took her hand away from my hair. For a moment or two, the distance between us seemed…silly. Annoying. Like all I wanted was to touch her again.

So I did. I ran my calloused thumb across the scar on her face a couple of times, enjoying how the skin got warmer under my touch. "Why is this scar so jagged? The cut was relatively clean. And you ear. Way more skin is missing that what got cut."

She shrugged. "The doctors said the p-poison was like a kind of cancer…and that it was eating my cells. Skin and blood alike…"

I growled audibly and took my hand from her face. "That's sick."

She nodded and started twiddling with her fingers.

I realized that my eyes and face were still wet, so I irritably dried them with my sleeve. I looked back at her with what hopefully wasn't a too-serious expression.

"Give me your hands, please."

She looked at me with a painfully hesitant expression. "Are you sure you…want to see them?"

"Yeah. Yeah, give them to me."

Her eyebrows tilted upward in concern, but she still put her hands into mine. Carefully, trying to make sure not to hold it too tight, I unwrapped the bandage on her left hand, biting my lip.

These scars were not raised like the one on her face. They were dark maroon with pinkish outlines, flame-shaped, and they twisted and curled around her pale skin, like snakes, like vines. It seemed painfully ironic to me that Orochimaru's scar was just a little ridge on her face, while _my _scars ruined her pretty pale arms. _He'd _been trying to blind her and eventually kill her from the inside out, and _I…_I'd been trying to avenge her.

Life sucks sometimes.

I quickly unwrapped her other hand, and then held them in both of mine, gazing at them sullenly. Before I even realized what I was doing, her knuckles were under my lips, and my eyes were closed. Her hands were so cold in my too-warm hands, under my too-warm lips…

I dropped her right hand and held onto the left one. I ghosted a hesitant, awkward, confusing kiss along her hand and spoke against the inside of her wrist, where I could feel her soothing pulse. "I'm really sorry, Hinata. Please…even if you don't think it was my fault…forgive me."

She carefully touched my face with her free hand. I opened my eyes and looked deeply into her moonlike eyes.

She spoke in a reverent tone. "Okay…I forgive you, N…Naruto." She sighed. "Naruto, listen… There is _nothing _in this world that you are capable of doing that I am incapable of forgiving."

She smiled genuinely, but my expression darkened. I mindlessly kissed her wrist again. Hinata was foolish, saying things like that…there were so many unforgivable things in this world. How could she say things like that…?

"And what if I raped you? That would be unforgivable."

She sighed and rubbed my cheek. "I said there was nothing _you _were capable of doing…of course _that _would be unforgivable… It's just…I don't think…_you _could ever do that to me…or anyone, for that matter, Naruto. You're not that kind of man… _You_…you're a _great _man." She smiled beatifically and looked deeply into my eyes. "Naruto, I…I'll always be here for you…no matter what."

My eyes went wide, and my heart fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird.

That Hinata. By some grace of God, she could look at me and not see the thing that ruined her slender, pale arms. She was so…wonderful. She didn't even seem concerned about touching the whisker-marks that revealed what lived within me. She wasn't angry or afraid or even annoyed. Her fingers were gentle and her eyes were warm. I tried hard to name the emotion in those fascinating, almost unreadable pale eyes, trying desperately to understand the promise that always seemed to be hidden there for me…

_**Brat, if you're not **__**going **__**to rape her, could you please say your goodbyes and get on home? I'm starving.**_

The intimacy with Hinata was lost instantly. I let go of her hand and flew to my feet in a rush of sudden anger. Through my teeth, I thanked her _so much _for forgiving me, made some excuse—that I can't even remember anymore—about having to go home, and ran away.

I was more or less unconscious until I was inside my apartment.

I shouted at the ceiling, as if that would make things better.

"What the HELL was THAT comment about?!?!"

_He _was unfazed. _**Are you going to feed me or not?**_

"Were you even paying attention back there?! Did you see how badly _you _hurt her?"

_**You don't have to shout.**_

"DID YOU?!"

_**I saw how desperate you were to touch her.**_

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I changed the subject. _Fox. We need to talk._

_**What about?**_

_For one, I'm not gonna ask for your chakra anymore. Only give it to me if I am on the __**brink of death**__, or if I __**really**__ need to protect someone._

_**Okay…**_

_Also, never EVER put me into THAT form again. When I can't control myself, people get hurt. And that's unacceptable. I won't hurt my friends like that again._

His response was a little more hesitant, but we really _were _hungry. He responded like an annoyed, self-righteous teenager. _**Alright, fine, whatever…**_

_And don't you __**ever **__talk to me when I'm around people. Ever._

_**I can handle that. Anything else, my damned little master?**_

I thought about that for a good minute. _For now, no._

_**Okay, good. NOW will you please eat? I'm staaaaaarving.**_

_Alright, fine, whatever…_

--

I sat on my bed, staring unseeingly at the full moon through my window. The moon glowed adoringly at me. I couldn't help but think of the pale eyes I'd stared into for so long today. I wished I could quit thinking about her. Quit thinking about how soft her face was, or how warm her eyes were, or how much I'd loved it when she blushed when I touched her, or how it felt to kiss her hands…

I growled and tried to picture Sakura-chan's glowing green eyes, how it felt to touch her pink hair, how it had felt to kiss her in that moment of ignorant bliss…

But all I could picture was her holding hands with Bushy-Brow, that strange smile she always got when she talked about him, and the furious look on her face when she'd tried to attack Sasuke.

So, as I laid down in my bed, I took the easy way out.

I thought about Hinata and everything about her. Her blush, her stutter, her air of adoration, her nighttime hair, her moonlike eyes, her scars…her selflessness…her courage…just Hinata…

And somehow…I fell asleep with ease.

* * *

**_(Author's Note)_**

**_For starters, Naruto is NOT a wuss. He was holding all that in for sooooooo long. And besides. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on. And Hinata's was just the most convinient shoulder. Okay? Okay._**

**_Jeez._**

**_Naruto is starting to see the light that is NaruHina. Yay!_**

**_How OOC is this? I'm not sure. 7 out of 10? XD_**

**_Well. I'm loving it, either way. 3_**

**_Much love.  
Miyazaki A2_**


	11. I have to do this

**Naruto POV**

_I stand across from the girl with the bubblegum-hair and watermelon-eyes, and I stare at her angelic beauty. This room is huge and white and warm. The floor seems like clouds under my bare feet. I can't feel that I have any clothes on, but I don't feel the discomfort of nakedness. I just feel natural. _

_She looks back at me with a small smile. She walks towards me, shining brightly like a lantern. No, like a star. The shine is definitely beautiful, but it's too bright, so I have to squint to be able to look at her. Something in me tells me that I'm not supposed to be looking at her. Like she's not mine or something._

_Then, right beside me, I see the guy that she __**does **__belong to. I can __**feel **__that she belongs with him. He doesn't have to squint to look at her. His eyes are wide and adoring and kind. He walks towards her, and they embrace._

_I watch for a couple moments, and then realize that they look nice together. Better than I'd look with her._

_But it also hurts to look, so I turn my face away._

_The scene changes. _

_It's dark and cool in this new little room. Comfortable. Like hiding under the bed as a kid._

_I'm not alone in here. There's someone else with me. I'm pretty sure it's a girl. A different girl. I'm glad she's here with me. For some reason, I feel like I'd be nowhere without her. She keeps this place real to me. She keeps __**me**__ real…_

_I reach out for her. She takes my hand. Her fingers are soft and warm, and they cling to mine with a certain reverence that tugs at my memory. I pull her to me by her hand and wrap my arms around her soft, slender body, holding her close to me. I feel like if I let go now that I have her…I'll stop existing. I'm really glad she's here with me. _

_My eyes are adjusting to the dark. After a while, I realize that I know this girl. I know her well. I care about her. I love her, I think._

_But who is she? Sakura?_

_No…Sakura wouldn't let me hold her like this. Not __**me**__, at least__**.**__ So…who, then?_

_An idea creeps into my heart, slow and warm and beautiful and welcome…_

"_Hinata?" I murmur in her mangled ear, my cheek pressing against the scar on hers._

_She nuzzles her face into my shoulder and giggles. "I love you, Naruto-kun." _

--

My eyes shot open at the same time that I fell out of bed. I hit my head _hard_ on the carpet and groaned. I rolled irritably onto my back and flexed my biceps.

My arms…they felt so empty.

I flew to my feet, feeling disoriented and downright silly. That dream…that dream made me feel weird. Like my bones were just noodles or something. My knees shook. I bit my bottom lip.

Why…why did I dream that? And why…did I _like_ it so much? Why did I miss it—the feel of her in my arms…_Hinata_ in _my_ arms!! I shuddered with a keen, sharp pleasure that I didn't quite understand. Why was I so happy?!

And that thing she said…

I shook it off with a self-pitying moan. There was no way. It was just a dream. I'd dreamt of Sakura-chan saying the same thing a million times. The _exact _same thing. And the first half of that dream showed how well _that _had worked out.

But…what did that say about _me? _Did that mean that I _wanted _Hinata to…? Did I want Hinata to love me? I mean, that would be pretty awesome, to be loved…well, by anyone, really…Hinata was just such a good girl, so nice, so…so wonderful. She understood me in ways that sometimes I felt even Sakura-chan couldn't…

But Hinata didn't love me. She couldn't. Nobody did, not like that. It was just a dream.

But…the dream made me smile, nonetheless. The idea was nice.

I wanted to think about it more, but one look at my clock told me that it was time to go. I had mission assignments in half an hour…

--

It was just me and Sakura-chan there at Granny's office, and that made my skin crawl for some reason or another. It wasn't because I didn't like seeing her there…I was just having a bad premonition, I guess.

Granny Tsunade yawned at the two of us with an '_I-really-wish-Shizune-would-let-me-out-more-often_' sort of attitude about her, kind of like a dog who's been on a leash for way too long. She looked tired.

"Okay, Team Kakashi…" She ran her finger over the page in front of her for a moment before going on. "I know that you just got back from a few consecutive long-distance missions, so I'm giving you a slow day today so you can rest up." She paused and deliberately met my gaze with an almost-apologetic smile. "Do you think you can handle a D-rank?"

Sakura-chan and I let out a long, communal sigh. As exhausted as we were, D-ranks were almost insulting.

Granny smiled. "Or you could just _not _get paid today."

We straightened up. The promise of financial compensation was hard to resist, no matter how demeaning the work was sure to be.

Granny smirked wickedly. "That's what I thought." She handed Sakura-chan the mission description and waved us on.

--

I pulled at the weed with an annoyed purposefulness, making sure not to make the mistake of pulling out crops instead of pests. Beside me, Sakura-chan was treating the crops for bugs and diseases, also adding some special fertilizer that the owner—a sickly old dude whose kids went off to find their fortunes and couldn't really do this crap himself—had given us.

Sakura-chan seemed to be in a really foul mood, for whatever reason. Her hands weren't as gentle on the delicate plants as they should have been—she broke leaves often and had to put them back together, using up way more chakra than this mission required. It bothered me that she was being so careless. It wasn't like her.

"Hey," I said quietly, tugging on a particularly stubborn weed. "What's wrong? You seem really pissed." The weed finally came loose, and I stuck it in the bag by my side.

I could see her frown deepen from the corner of my eye.

"Oh, I do? I…it's nothing important. It's kind of petty."Her voice trailed off and I watched as her green fingernails pierced another delicate leaf. She sighed quietly and healed the green-bleeding wound.

"Tell me anyways," I insisted, grabbing an ant by the abdomen and putting it in a plastic box by my side—I planned on bringing the box of bugs to Shino later, so he could find a good home for them all. (I'm pretty humane, after all. And…maybe I'd get to see Hinata…but I shook off the thought quickly.)

She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Lee-kun got sent out on another mission yesterday, that's all."

I could tell that she was choosing not to tell me something. "And?"

She sighed and released an earthworm into the dirt—instant fertilizer, the old dude called it. "_And…_yesterday, Lee-kun and I were supposed to have a special date. But he had to leave…"

Realization dawned on me. "Oh yeah! Your six month anniversary, right?"

She glanced at me. "Yeah, six months. How'd you know?"

I smiled and met her gaze. "Hinata told me."

Something about her smile changed—her eyes turned wickedly amused. "Oh yeah? You talk to Hinata a lot?"

I shrugged and grinned. "Recently." And then I shivered with pleasure, remembering that strange dream of mine.

She watched me, seeming to actually _look _at me for the first time today—her eyes seemed amazingly clear, as if she was realizing something deathly important. She smiled and looked away as she released another earthworm into the mud. "Hinata is pretty cool, isn't she?"

My heart thudded against my chest as I pictured the moon-eyed girl. An odd, uncontrollable longing to see her flared for a moment. "Yeah," I agreed. "Yeah, she's…she's pretty freaking awesome." I grinned. "I mean, she saved me, right?"

Sakura-chan chuckled. "She definitely calmed you down."

"Yeah…" Suddenly, we were back on-topic. "Sorry 'bout your boyfriend having to go off. That pretty much sucks."

She froze, earthworm in hand. She turned her face back to me and stared. It only took me a moment to figure out what she was so weirded-out about. That had to be the very first time I ever referred to Bushy-Brow as _her boyfriend._ I remembered with a _thud _of my heart that the term used to nauseate me. In a sudden moment of clarity, I realized that I was coming to terms with the situation.

Sakura-chan seemed to sense this, too. She turned away and killed a bunch of aphids that were chewing on a tomato. (I could practically hear their little buggy-screams of terror.) She didn't look back at me. "Don't be sorry. It was dumb anyway. We're ninjas. We shouldn't party. Besides, it was only six months…"

Her expression was so heartbroken that I had to say _something_. She really cared about this guy, and this date had been important to her. "Hey! Has it been a _good_ six months?"

"The best ever," she said with a wistful sigh, avoiding my eyes.

"Then what the fuck does it matter that you didn't get to celebrate it? I mean, you've lasted longer than a lot of couples do. Be happy with that, dude. It's good enough. You're lucky."

We both froze this time.

And we both realized it at the same time, but Sakura-chan voiced it first. "Naruto…are you _encouraging _my relationship with Lee-kun?"

I wasn't sure, honestly. I'd just been saying what I thought what could make her happy again. But…for some reason, I felt like I knew where this conversation was going, and I suddenly felt like it had to happen. I hesitated to think, pulled a few more weeds, then responded in a sagely tone. "Sakura-chan? Do you love Bushy-Brow? Like _really _love him?"

She didn't hesitate for a moment. Her tone was certain—her path was set in stone. "Yes. I love him more than anything else in the whole world. I would die for him, Naruto. I would die _without _him."

I had already known this. I'd known that she loved him. I'd _known_. But, to my surprise, the reminder didn't hurt as much as that first time I'd heard those words. They sounded right, now. She sounded happy. She _was _happy.

My heart suddenly seemed to expand, allowing me to realize that _that_ was all I really wanted. That was all I cared about, as far as Sakura-chan went. Her happiness.

I sighed and made my decision right there, kneeling in the dirt. I nodded solemnly. "Then…_yes_. I'm encouraging you two. I mean…Bushy-Brow makes you happy…" I suddenly grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers, holding on tight. If I had to end this, I had to do it right. "Sakura-chan. I love you _so much_. You know that. I _really _like it when you're happy. I _want _you to be happy." I paused, looked away, and with one hand I ripped some more weeds out of the ground so roughly that they snapped in two. "Sakura-chan…that's it. I fold."

She finally looked at me and blinked. And then her mind seemed to catch up with the gamblers' lingo. "What do you mean, Naruto? You fold…?"

I met her gaze. My throat tightened around the words, but I knew that they _had _to be spoken. I was finally doing the right thing. I had to do this. "I'm not going to bother you and Bushy-Brow about this anymore. I mean, with Bushy-Brow's self-worth issues and your Sasuke issues, the last thing you guys need is _me _working against you…It'd be immature and selfish of me. So, I fold."

I suddenly looked very deeply into her eyes. I very carefully put my index finger under her chin…and softly pressed my lips to her pale forehead. God, I loved her so much. But this was it. I couldn't hurt her anymore like this…

"Naruto," she whimpered, and then leaned forward to put her thin arms around my neck in a flimsy embrace. "Thank you so much. For everything. This means so much to me."

"Yeah, I know…" I hugged her back for a moment, just barely, then backed off.

--

On my way away from the 'mission', I ran that conversation through my head over and over again. My promise to no longer pursue Sakura had been impulsive and unplanned. Despite that, I was almost _happy _that I'd dropped out of the running for her heart. I mean, the little pocket of dread that had been taking up residence in that particular corner of my heart was _gone_.

I still loved her—a person can't freaking get over something that powerful in one afternoon—but now…I realized that I didn't _have _to be in love with her. It wasn't a part of my genetic makeup that I _had _to be bound by a tragic love that would never be reciprocated. It wasn't like being Hokage—_that _simply _would_ happen, _no matter what._

Sakura-chan was happy and that was all that mattered.

Now…a strange tugging sensation occurred in the back of my head. All I knew was that I had to go do something. Something important.

--

I was walking before I knew what to do. I'd arrived before I knew where I was going. And I was disappointed before I knew what I wanted.

Hinata was not at my training field.

A couple of sharp icicles of disappointment and shame pierced my lungs. It felt like I was choking, somehow. I tried to swallow the dark emotion—because it was just plain weird—but it was difficult.

For some reason or another, I'd wanted to tell Hinata about my promise to Sakura-chan. I thought that maybe she'd be able to tell me how to feel about this whole damn situation. Maybe she'd approve. Maybe she'd think this was for the best. Maybe we'd hug again. Maybe she would tell me…

This thought made my spine tingle in pleasure, but I banished the fantasy.

I was still carrying that box of bugs. I'd planned on giving it to Hinata to give to Shino, but apparently that plan was in the toilet…though I could always just go _find _Team Eight—er, Team Kurenai—and give it to him on my own. I mean, I couldn't always expect Hinata to come to me. I had to give something to this relationship, too.

(It didn't occur to me until later that night that I was getting a wee bit obsessed and that practically none of my thoughts made any sense.)

* * *

**_(A/N)_**

**_Hello, loves. I'm back!! Sorry this took so long. I had a major computer crash. Like, my laptop is totally dead. Need to get it fixed. Hmm._**

**_Anyway! Not much to say about the chappy. This one is a little weird. I hope it doesn't seem too forced or anything like that. I thought I was at a good point for Naruto and Sakura to have that conversation. Anyway...yeah. _**

**_Hope you all approve!! ((dives into her reader-proof-bomb-shelter))_**

**_Much love!  
Miyazaki A2_**


	12. Sentimental Value

**Naruto POV**

"Summoning jutsu!!"

There was a huge puff of smoke, and suddenly, I was face-to-face with a strangely familiar grin. I backed up a bit and looked the toad over. Realization hit me almost immediately afterwards.

"Gamakichi?! Holy _crap_, dude, you're fricking _huge!_"

The once itty-bitty toad was now at least three feet tall than _I _was, for crying out loud!

Gamakichi chuckled good-naturedly and winked at me. "Nice to see you, too, Naruto." He laughed again. "You didn't think that I'd stay that puny forever, did you? I mean, have you seen my _dad?" _He laughed again. "And this is nothing. In a couple months, Pa says that you'll have to climb a tree to be able to look me in the eye!"

He was obviously amused. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward to touch my fist to the huge toad's nose. "Good to see ya, dude. Missed ya."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, shaking me off teasingly, obviously pleased and proud that he had the power to do so now. "Hey, don't tell me that you summoned me just to have a little reunion." He smirked. He was happy to see me, no matter what he said.

"Oh yeah," I said, putting my hand on the back of my neck. "Hey. Gamakichi, how good are you at tracking?"

"Pretty decent," he said, getting serious. "What are we tracking?"

I looked around. "A girl."

He blinked. "A girl? A _girl_-girl?!"

"Yeah, what of it?"

He laughed. "And why can't you just find her yourself? Shy?"

"Yeah, she is."

"I meant you."

We glared at each other for a moment in silence. My eyes dipped towards the box of bugs in my hand. Gamakichi looked at the box, sniffed it, and then looked back at me with a confused expression. "Naruto…what's with the bugs?"

"It's a gift…"

"_For her?!"_

"No!! It's for her friend!"

"_Boy_friend?"

"Hell no!!"

"Why are you giving a girl's friend a box of bugs, Naruto? To creep him out? Jealous?"

"Ugh, no! Quit guessing, dude, you'll never get it right! He's an Aburame. He digs bugs."

Understanding entered the toad's eyes. "Ooooohh. An Aburame. I get it." He stared at the box, and licked his lips. "Okay, I'll help you find your girl. Just one thing."

"What is it?"

"Gimme a bug. I'm starved, man! We were about to have lunch, but _someone _decided to become a stalker all of the sudden and summoned me."

My fingers tightened protectively around the plastic. "You mean _sacrifice _one?! That's just _wrong,_ Gamakichi! Besides, the bugs will _tell _Shino how I treated them. I sacrifice one, and Shino'll send a fricking hornet at me!!"

Gamakichi rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, whatever. It doesn't even matter, anyways. After all, you're just bribing the guy so you can get in good with the girl."

My spine tensed up and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I could just _feel _my face getting hotter, and I broke from his gaze, flustered and flushed. "That's dumb," I said. My voice shook, though, downgrading the threat in it.

He chuckled again. "Just gimme something of hers so I can smell her out."

I held out a bandage that had been previously tied around Hinata's hands. The toad sniffed it with hesitant eyes, obviously creeped out.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

I…I didn't want to go to Naruto-kun's training field.

Okay, I _wanted _to go—desperately, even—but at the same time…I couldn't bring myself to. I just felt…awkward about it. I mean, what could I say to him, after that crying jag? Would he _expect_ me to say anything? Would he _want_ me to? God, I didn't know what to do.

So I hid with my teammates as they sparred.

I fiddled with my fingers, picturing the feel of Naruto-kun's lips on them. I still couldn't believe that he'd _done _that. Kissed my hands like that.

_God, I love him_, I thought to myself and rubbed my scarred fingers.

My thoughts were disjointed and disoriented. I tried to focus on my teammates' spar, but it was hard. I was so distracted. I wanted to see Naruto-kun again, but I couldn't, I couldn't…

"God, Hinata! Quit moping and spar with me. Or are you chicken?" Kiba-kun called. My eyes shot up and I was on my feet before I knew what I was doing. I figured that it would do me good to fight a little—it would get my mind off of…_him._

I turned on my Byakugan and waited for Kiba-kun to come at me. Akamaru sat beside Shino-kun, tired and resting. Kiba-kun studied my stance, and then slunk into his own crouch. The world was still for the whole of 2.27 seconds, then we struck out at each other—him with his claws and me with my sharp chakra.

He had this way of nicking me just hard enough to make it hurt and even to leave a mark, but not make it bleed. This was his way of telling me that I needed to dodge faster. And since he had the ability to hurt me without hurting me, he used it. I, on the other hand, had to be even _more _careful. If I hit him in the wrong place, even softly, it could knock him out. His body had built up a bit of an immunity against my Byakugan in some places, having been up against it so often, but it was impossible to _really _be prepared for one of my blows.

After one or two minutes of circling and striking, Kiba-kun nicked my side with his fist, but this gave me time to knock him in the back with my palm. He tumbled forward, landed on his knuckles, and dodged just before I could kick him in the shoulder. I ended up slamming my leg into his forearm, and I saw an angry, nameless hormone swirl around the places I struck. I was worried about the chakra point I'd closed on his back. It would make moving difficult for him…

But he didn't seem to notice—or care. He ran at me again, feinted, and then slashed my back with his claws. I yelped and swirled around, solidly striking his jaw with my foot. Kiba-kun went flying to the side, and I smiled when he hesitated to get back up.

He raised his hand, panting, and this gave me sign that he was done. I quickly scurried to his side to make sure he wasn't _too _hurt, then gasped. Poor guy was out cold. Trying to be gentle, I lifted his shoulders up a bit to open up that chakra point, and then watched for about 3 seconds as he snored.

Then, I heard _his _voice.

"Hey, Hinata!! Awesome KO!"

My blood ran cold. My body completely froze up. I didn't turn around. I didn't even breathe. But I'd forgotten to turn my Byakugan off, so I could still _see _him.

Naruto-kun. He found me.

But I was in love with him, not afraid of him, so only milliseconds later, everything—my breathing, my blood flow, my movements—sped up.

I'd turned around and turned off my Byakugan before I registered the movement.

Naruto-kun met my gaze for a whole second, and nothing else existed. We grinned at each other, both of us red-faced and giggling, and that was all there was.

Then he turned away from me, to Shino-kun. He handed Shino-kun some kind of plastic box, which I could tell by my teammate's posture interested him _immensely._ I considered walking closer to examine the little scene more intensely, but I would feel bad if Kiba-kun woke up and no one was there to make sure he was okay.

My lower lip jutted out just a little bit. I wanted to be near Naruto-kun…

Suddenly, Shino-kun ran off into the forest. Naruto-kun waved, crinkling up his eyes with teasing pleasure, and then looked back at me with a warm grin. The skin of my cheeks heated up as he walked towards me, his entire being just _calling _to me._ 'Come here,'_ his smile seemed to say. I had to bite my bottom lip to keep myself from throwing myself at him. It'd been a mistake not to come see him. I needed him.

"Found you," he said quietly when he was only two feet away from me. He looked as if he was going to walk closer, but stopped at the last second. "It was my turn to be the stalker," he said, laughing. I shivered. I couldn't even count how many times I'd called myself a stalker. It made me giggle ashamedly that he'd come to the same conclusion.

I had to say _something, _so I fumbled around for a second. "W-what did you give Shino-kun?" I asked, looking towards the forest where my teammate had disappeared.

Naruto-kun laughed again and poked my nose. "A box of bugs," he chirped cheerfully. "I was supposed to exterminate them on my mission today, but I figured that you guys could figure out something better to do with them. I mean, it should be easy, considering Shino's insect-fetish."

I smiled. I tried to take a step back, but my foot collided with Kiba-kun's ribs, so I actually ended up jumping a few inches closer. (Naruto-kun didn't seem to notice, but I did.)

"He seemed excited," I told him.

He made a face. "Really? He just said _thank you, Naruto,_ grabbed it, and walked away."

I had to remind myself that nobody really knew Shino-kun as well as Kiba and I did. Of course, to Naruto-kun, he was cool and aloof. But I was sure that right now, he was giggling like an idiot over his new friends.

"Oh, he was," I said, smiling. "I could tell."

Naruto-kun crinkled up his eyes. "Awesome!" Then, he paused and averted his gaze, as if suddenly remembering an ulterior motive for coming all the way out here. "You weren't at the training field," he said in an almost-hurt tone of voice.

My heart thudded against my ribcage. I bit my lip even harder. Had Naruto-kun been expecting me? The idea made me smile. Did that mean that he liked being around me? A painfully hopeful warmth suddenly oozed through my body.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I had to train a bit with Kiba-kun. He's been battling with just bugs for t-too long. He's been feeling neglected, I think."

Naruto-kun smirked and looked down at my unconscious teammate. "Hey, is he gonna be alright?" he asked, not sounding _too _concerned at all.

I turned slightly to look at Kiba-kun. He was snoring still, but it didn't seem to me like he'd wake up anytime soon. I smiled weakly and looked back at the golden-haired angel in front of me. "I…I think so. He'll just be out for a while, I think…"

Naruto-kun smiled at me. "That KO was pretty cool, Hinata."

I felt my face heat up. "Er, thank you…"

We fell into silence. I had the distinct feeling that he was trying to figure out how to tell me something, and the suspense of watching his face as he battled it out was terribly unnerving. I ended up having to turn away, even daring to take a step to the side.

Then he grabbed my hand. "Where are you going?" he asked quickly, holding on as if I was going to disappear if he loosened his grip.

I looked back and met his oddly panicked gaze. "Nowhere," I whispered, my eyes lingering in his, trying to read and understand them. "I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded slightly, a serious expression suddenly on his face. He didn't let go of my hand—and that was just fine by me. I liked the feel of his fingers…

But it was a little odd when he brought my hand up to his face and started studying it. He was acting so weird today. Did something happen? What was going on with him?!

"The scars are fading," he said in a low, husky voice. He ran the fingers of his free hand across the just-a-bit-paler-than-yesterday maroon marks that botched mine. His eyes were wide and amazed. "They are _definitely _fading!" He looked up and met my gaze with a wild grin. He wasn't thinking straight by this point. But he seemed…happy. So that was good.

He started playing with my fingers, stretching them out and twisting them to get a better view. He continued like this for a good two minutes, reveling in the fact that all signs of the damage he'd done was disappearing. He was so _happy. _It must've really hurt him that he'd hurt me, a friend. I smiled and let him enjoy the moment.

Finally, he calmed down. He kept my hand, holding it tightly in his, but he was casual about it, looking into my eyes with a small, wistful smile. He seemed finally ready to tell me what he'd come here to say. He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb for some reason. "I…I had a talk with Sakura-chan today."

My blood ran cold again, and my body started to tingle uncomfortably. '_Good or bad?'_ I thought desperately, my stomach doing a back flip. I studied his face for a fraction of a moment, but it gave nothing away.

I just barely managed to get out a quiet squeak of a "Yeah?"

He looked around. He slowly let go of my hand, then sunk to the ground, pulling his knees up and leaning back on his hands, looking up at the sky. Almost on instinct, I followed suit, sitting across from him, my back against Kiba-kun's. He grabbed my hand again, obviously in need of comfort. I scooted a little closer to him. Just a little.

"Hinata, I…I'm going to back off. I'm giving up on her." His expression was solemn, and I knew from the look in his eyes that the loving feelings he held for Sakura-san were still there. But there was something different about the look…he really _had _given up. I blinked in shock, trying my hardest not to be happy. This _wasn't_ a _good _thing. This must've been hurting him…

"Are you okay?" I asked, knowing that what he'd done was something I could _never _do, knowing he was stronger than I was. I put a hand on his knee.

He glanced my way and seemed to really _look_ at me. He suddenly smiled, and the look of pain was gone. Almost like it had never existed. This wasn't the mask I'd seen on him so many times. He was _genuinely _happy. He stretched towards me, put a hand on my waist, and pulled me across the ground until he and I were hip-to-hip. Then he moved his arm so that it rested around my shoulders. I blushed intensely, but made no move to squirm away. Naruto-kun…why was he touching me like this?

His hand lightly brushed the side of my neck and he said, "No worries. I'm okay."

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and a million questions buzzed through my mind. What was he doing?! What was he thinking about? He loved Sakura-san! Why was he doing this? What did this mean?

I leaned away, but he was determined to hold onto me.

He was looking at Kiba-kun's unconscious form. The crook of his elbow was warm behind my neck. He sighed. "So, Hinata…what do you think?"

I took a deep breath and allowed myself to calm down. I didn't look at him. We both stared at Kiba-kun just for the sake of a focal point. "Me? Well…I…I think this is a… a g-good thing," I said, quietly hating myself.

"Why do you think that?" His tone was without inflection. He was just curious, not accusing or playful or anything like that. He honestly just wanted to know my opinion.

I sighed. _Because I'm so in love with you that every time you tell me how you feel about Sakura-san, I want to die. I want you for myself, damn it!_

I took a deep breath; trying to find something I could say that was true but not _so _true that I might blush too hard or _faint_. "Because," I whispered, feeling my heart rate increase, "you've been so upset about this whole thing…it's better for…your mental health that you just…move on." My voice got very small, because I was feeling so _selfish._

But I was happy, nonetheless, under the comforting weight of his arm.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

I rubbed her arm, enjoying how she shivered under my touch. For some reason, I got the feeling that she really _liked _it when I touched her.

So did I. I mean, Sakura would never let me touch her like this. She would've called me a pervert and hit me _really hard_. But Hinata…she liked it, didn't she?

I didn't really know what I was doing, or if this was the right thing to do right now, or if I was being way to impulsive today…but her body was so warm next to mine. I couldn't let go, now that she was here.

I thought about what she'd said. I bit my thumbnail. "That…that makes sense, I guess," I said slowly, noticing that she was nodding with my words.

Hinata squirmed under my arm, seemingly trying to decide if she wanted to stay where she was beside me. Poor thing, so shy. I was probably making it really uncomfortable for her. I was probably freaking her out. I briefly considered the option of removing my arm from her shoulders, seeing how red her face was. But, even so, I wasn't going to let go of her. I needed to hold onto something, or my body would probably shatter or something.

Kiba snored, and Hinata grimaced delicately. Worried about her teammate? Or thinking about our conversation? I couldn't tell.

Without speaking, she put her head down on my shoulder and sighed.

The words came from my lips before I knew what I was saying. "You know what's cool about you, Hinata?"

"What, Naruto-kun?" Her voice was soft and warm. The way she pronounced my name made my body tremble with a feeling that was strange. Nobody said my name like…_that._

"You…you're still a dark and shy weirdo." I chuckled in her un-ruined ear.

Her face scrunched up under the pressure of some unnamable emotion. "Do you still like people like me?" she asked bravely.

"Yeah. Yeah, I really do." And the words were true. She was a good girl. She was more than dark and shy. There was so much more to her…

A comfortable silence fell on us and lasted a long time. Hinata was curled against me so neatly, breathing softly, peacefully.

I was in love with Sakura. I loved her. I really did. I would probably keep on loving her for quite a while. But the heart is strange. It has the ability to stretch and grow and care for a million things at one time an in very different ways. Nobody loves two people the exact same way. Some loves are stronger than others; some can be broken by the smallest things.

And, looking at Hinata as she leaned against my body, breathing with a soft purr, I figured something out…something that would either break my heart into a million pieces or make it a million times stronger.

I…I was slowly starting to…love this moon-eyed girl.

* * *

(A/N)

**_((Slams head on desk)) Okay, I did it. Deal with it. ((laughs insanely and runs off into the distance))_**

**_((comes back)) 12 chapters in, and Naruto-kun finally notices that Hinata is lovable. I'd say that this is going well._**

**_If you think otherwise...sorry for disappointing you. ((bows))_**

**_Much love.  
Miyazaki A2_**


	13. Awkward Stew

Rock Lee, in all his youthful glory, let his thumb slip under the edge of Sakura's shirt—just his thumb!—and caressed the soft skin of her stomach as they kissed. Sakura giggled just a little and shifted her position so she sat closer to him, sitting on his lap, even.

The kissing was getting pretty forceful by this point, so Lee reluctantly pulled back to keep from getting too carried away. Sakura, however, just moved her lips to his jaw line and kissed _that._ His body tingled under her weight, but he couldn't bring himself to lean away from her. Instead, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so close that she couldn't reach anything to kiss. This calmed him down…until Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist.

He leaned as far back on his couch as he could, his movements jerky and swift.

She noticed his sudden tenseness, put her arms on his shoulders, and smiled with a purr. "Sorry. I missed you. You were gone too long."

Lee laughed uncomfortably. "I was gone for a week!"

She purred delicately again. "Exactly." She leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips, aware of his awkwardness—amused by it. She lingered on his lips for a moment, but pulled away and poked his nose with a gentle thumb before he got uncomfortable again.

Lee smiled, blushing. "So…what did I miss?" he asked for the simple sake of small talk.

Her smile fell from her face. "You know what you missed."

He frowned apologetically, and then curled inward to rest his forehead on her shoulder, pulling close again. "Yes, I know. I am sorry."

She rubbed his neck. "It's okay, don't worry about it. It was out of your control, sweetie."

"Anything else?" he asked, sitting up again, smiling a small, still-apologetic smile. He would _have _to find a way to make this up to her, or do 300 push-ups on his thumbs.

Sakura fidgeted a little, and then re-crossed her ankles behind his back. "Well…I wanted to know…did you say anything to…Naruto before you left? About me?"

Lee scrutinized her confused expression and returned it with one of his own. "No, not really. Not since he got out of the hospital that first day, at least. Why?"

"Because," she started, still rubbing the sides of his neck, "when we were on a D-Rank last Monday…he made some weird promise to me…about not bothering _us_"—she ran a finger down his chest to make her meaning clear—"anymore. Something like, he wanted us to be happy together, or something?"

Lee stared at her for a good half-minute, taking it in, and then suddenly grinned widely, abruptly ecstatic with relief. "He's over you? Oh, Sakura-chan, that is wonderful news! I hated feeling as if Naruto-kun was angry at _us_, but no, he can find happiness now, too! Oh, this is just great! I love you, Sakura-chan!" he added, grinning so hard that his cheeks actually _hurt._

Then he pulled her towards him again, and they resumed their make out session with added enthusiasm.

* * *

**Naruto POV **

It seemed as if…the more time I spent with Hinata, the deeper and harder in love I fell with her. It was an easy fall, too. Not frightening or anything, not like falling into a bottomless pit. No, I assumed there was a bottom…_somewhere, eventually, _and that most likely, the bottom would be so full of pillows and cotton candy and clouds that I would be just as happy landing as I was falling. And _she'd_ be right there with me, making it all the better.

…Unfortunately and simultaneously, I'd only climbed about halfway _out_ of the Sakura-Love-Pit. In some places, the walls were jagged and hurt to touch, and in others, the walls were too damn slick for me to grab onto anything. At some points, I was scared that I was going to fall again…But I didn't give up, because I was falling _too damn_ _hard _for Hinata not to keep on climbing.

--

Hinata and I were walking so close together that it wouldn't take any energy at all to just take her hand or wrap an arm around her shoulders or waist. But I didn't. I just let us walk side-by-side, so close that our hands kept brushing against each other, accidentally and otherwise. It was easier that way, simpler. More like _us._

"So…what are we doing?" Hinata asked at one point, looking up at me with upturned eyebrows.

I smiled. I'd kinda just run up to her house, grabbed her, and run off without saying much. It came from the new-love-high, and it was funny to watch her face as she'd realized that I was _actually _dragging her off.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei said they have a new chakra-training for me to do…And since you don't have any missions today, I thought…maybe you'd like to watch?" That last part came out like a question.

She blushed a little. "Watch what?"

I grinned wider and bumped her hand with mine. "Well, it _is _chakra training…so maybe you could put your Byakugan on…and keep an eye on my chakra?" I paused as she flinched, probably remembering the _last time _she'd been in contact with my chakra. "But you don't have to!" I added quickly, wincing. "If you want, I can just take you back home or—"

"No, no!" she said, cutting me off. "No, I want to. I was just curious. D-don't worry."

She bumped my hand this time.

I was on a roll. My face heated up as my smile got even _bigger._

"And maybe," I offered, "after that…maybe we could go to dinner or something. And then, go back to my apartment and watch a movie or something?" _Or something, or something, or something._**Hinata POV**

* * *

My face was utterly on _fire._ For the thousandth time this week. Every time a word left Naruto-kun's lips, another shovel of coal was shoved into the furnace behind my usually-pale cheeks. _Especially _when he invited me to dinner and a movie just now! I was going to faint, it was only a matter of time!

But suddenly, warm fingers were wrapped around mine, and a gentle calm settled down upon me. I smiled confidently, encouraged by his quiet affection, and looked up at him.

"I'd love that, N-Naruto-kun," I said with a smile, and squeezed his hand.

He grinned at me, and we walked hand-in-hand to his training field.

--

This training…was interesting…and intense. As I sat under a tree, watching, I couldn't help but feel as if Naruto-kun had too much weight on his shoulders, too many people depending on him, too many things expected of him. But, if he minded, he didn't say anything about it.

Then again, maybe he didn't realize how much was expected. Maybe he thought all of this was _his _idea, his decision…I squirmed a little. It would be _just like him_ to put himself through a lot of pain, push himself too hard, just because he thought he was helping people…

But then, Naruto-kun was amazing. He could handle anything. His chakra, even in this severe, strange elemental test of endurance, didn't give in to any of the pressure. It just curved and molded to Naruto's wishes, dancing as agilely in his veins as a ballerina getting her big break. At the same time, there was an energetic beat behind his chakra flow, and it was obvious that he was _happy _to be doing all this.

When his teachers confirmed his element—wind—I had to admit that I wasn't surprised. Despite my lack of complete understanding of elemental chakra, it was easy to see that there had always been some invisible, almost gentle and persuasive power behind his strength…not including—I added to myself—the Kyuubi.

After a few hours, I slowly found myself unable to quite concentrate on Naruto-kun's training…I'd just always be much more interested in the boy himself…and how he'd suddenly started acting around me. I mean, I had never imagined him to be touchy-feely, though I guess that was because _I _wasn't. At the same time, this felt like more than just touchy-feely-ness. Like the hand-holding this morning. At the time, I hadn't thought anything of it, but now that my hands were empty…I realized that _friends _don't hold hands like that. It just wasn't done…

So what? Did that mean that Naruto-kun considered us as more than just friends? Or did he—having so little interpersonal contact of the romantic variety—not even realize that his gestures might make me think the wrong thing?

The latter seemed unlikely. He wasn't dumb. I sighed. I was probably being silly. He probably didn't even think like that. He probably just _wanted _to hold my hand, so he just _held my hand_. I mean, all this week, he'd been doing things like that. Little touches to tell me—or remind me, perhaps—that he cared. And that had to make me smile.

I was still smiling as he suddenly turned to wave at me, grinning and sweating…with his _shirt _off.

The fire slowly crept back into my face. I couldn't even remember when he'd found time to take his shirt off! My breath got caught in my chest and I just stared at him with that smile frozen on my face. Suddenly, he looked at himself and seemed to discover his half-nakedness for the first time, and he blushed as harshly as I probably was. He turned his back full-on to me, and his shoulders looked tense. Somehow, I found a way to giggle at the situation, rather than freak out.

And…I might've started staring at his upper body a bit more as he resumed training.

Just a bit.

* * *

**Naruto POV **

It was, like, half an hour before sundown when my teachers finally told me to call it a day. As soon as they said I could rest, I literally began to fall backwards, lost in exertion and fatigue.

But I fell into waiting arms, and they held me up from under my armpits, as I was quite unable to stand on my own at the very moment.

"Thank you, Hinata," Kakashi-sensei told the arms, smiling with his eye. "Wouldn't want Naruto to get a concussion."

At that moment, I sputtered and panicked, realizing I was still shirtless. Suddenly rejuvenated, I leapt from her arms and quickly threw on my black T-shirt—though of course it ended up backwards and inside-out.

I turned back towards Hinata to see that she wasn't blushing or _anything._ Just giggling at me with a bend forefinger in front of her mouth.

Yamato-sensei had disappeared during all that, but Kakashi-sensei still stood in-between Hinata and me, still grinning with his eye.

"So, Naruto," he began in an amused tone, "are you going to walk Hinata home like a gentleman?"

I narrowed my eyes. What was he getting at? "No," I said in a wary tone. "Actually, we're going out to dinner…"

"Oh really?" my teacher said, opening his eye to give me a wicked look. My stomach did a back flip as he sauntered over to Hinata, leaned down, and started to whisper something in her mangled ear. Her eyes grew to the size of watermelons, and her small smile shrunk into a little "O" of terror. Her nostrils flared a little, and her face turned _so red _that I could've sworn he was turning her into a cherry with some sort of genjutsu.

Finally, he stoop up straight, waved goodbye, and walked off to wherever it was that he always went, disappearing into the trees surrounding the training field. I stared as Hinata's face _slowly _returned to normal, her eyes finally focusing back on me. She didn't smile, but she didn't look quite as traumatized as before. Not _quite, _at least.

"What did he say?" I asked bluntly, wondering whether or not it had been a good idea to give him that new perverted book…

"H-h-h-he told m-me to r-r-remind you to use p-pr-pro-p-p…" She took a deep breath and tried again. "Protect…pro…p…"

She didn't have to say it—I figured it out. My hairline turned red and my face got all hot and tingly and crap. I held up a hand, stopping her. "I get it, Hinata. Protection?"

She nodded, getting all red-faced and flustered again…

And then we both burst out laughing, so loud and so hard that our voices boomed and carried for what could have been miles, we doubled over, our eyes watered, and we both eventually just fell to the ground, our legs unable to handle the shaking loudness. The laughter started out uncomfortable and awkward, but escalated with our mutual realizations that neither of us had ever considered _that _aspect of what seemed to be our semi-relationship—it was just so freaking to think about! And the _mental pictures! _

Oh my_ GOD! _

I was the first one to quit laughing, but it was mainly out of a desire to watch _her _laugh. At this point—I could tell that it was going to end soon—it was a reedy, trilling, almost jingle-bell-sound. While descending, the laughter turned a little awkward, self-conscious, but she still looked out-of-her-mind happy. Pretty, too. She held one pale hand in front of her mouth, her eyes were squeezed shut, her eyebrows were high up on her forehead—almost hidden by her bangs—and curved gently with not a hint of shyness. Her cheeks were a little flushed, but in a cute way. A glow instead of a burn. And her smile…well, it was probably the most gorgeous thing ever, even being obstructed by her hand.

And that thought made me squirm a little as she finally stopped giggling, less than five seconds after _I'd _stopped.

She looked at me, smiling angelically, for a few short seconds before clearing her throat and fumbling with her fingers. She gazed intently at her own hands, and an unhappy atmosphere settled upon us as she frowned, her eyebrows low and straight, tilting upwards near her nose. Anxious, my subconscious told me, classifying the expression.

I didn't like that.

"Protection," I repeated experimentally, and it worked; she snorted delicately.

I smirked smugly and stood up, holding my hand out for her. She hesitantly gave me her hand, and I pulled her up onto her feet in one swift, close-to-elegant movement.

"C'mon," I said, letting of her hand and smiling in a friendly manner. "We've got some food to shove down our throats."

"Let's go," she agreed, bumping my hand like this morning—a noticeably affectionate gesture, to which I replied by linking our pinkies. She turned a light shade of pink and we walked off with gauche smiles, amused by our own gestures.

--

It was some diner that Bushy-Brow had recommended to Hinata, which she in turn recommended to me. We'd let go of each other long before we got there—that weird pinkie thing just seemed…well, _weird _outside of the training field, so we just silently agreed to just let go.

Besides, it seemed best because, just as we were walking in, Bushy-Brow and Sakura were just walking out.

"Naruto-kun!" Bushy-Brown shouted much too loudly, giving me a big, sappy bear-hug, squeezing way too tight. Low in my ear, though, he murmured a quiet request to speak to me in private for a minute or two. I nodded, and, after ever-so-sweetly asking permission from our lady-friends, we briskly walked several yards down the side of the building, hopefully out of earshot.

He spoke in a low, almost grateful murmur. "Naruto-kun. Sakura-chan…she told me that you…" He gave me a pleading, meaningful look instead of finishing his sentence, because it was mutually understood that it would just be a strange thing to say aloud.

I nodded and grunted, my high from Hinata's presence slowly slithering away from me. "Yeah, I did," I replied in a sober, even tone, smiling grimly. I glanced quickly over to where Hinata and Sakura stood, talking and laughing pleasantly, like cheerleaders. My heart thumped with affection for both of them, and my gaze lingered on Sakura for a moment longer…studying her pale pink hair, her rosy lips, her forest-eyes…the way her milky skin curved from her high forehead, to her cheeks, to her jaw, to her neck, to her shoulders, and then ducked down and hid inside her clothes…and I sighed heavily, admitting silently to myself that I still felt _something_ for her, despite _everything_ I was just now feeling for Hinata.

Bushy-Brow called my attention back to himself by giving a casual cough. "Well," he said in a tone that didn't match his expression—he looked as cheerful as the Easter Bunny, but sounded like a lawyer, "I wanted to, uh…" He paused, and finally, his posture eased up and he sighed happily, his voice turning _just so freaking grateful. _"You know."

"Yeah," I repeated begrudgingly. "Yeah, I know." I paused as my expression turned fierce. "You better take care of her, Bushy-Brow. I mean it. If you _ever _hurt her, I _will _kick your ass, taijutsu master or no taijutsu master." I smirked, just to take the edge of my _very serious _threat. He was one of my best friends, after all.

A few emotions danced on his face, competing for center-stage. Gratitude, shock, anger, sadness, joy, unease, shame… He finally decided on '_none of the above.'_ "You still have feelings for her," he said in a blank, detached tone. It wasn't a question; it was simply a statement and acceptance of fact.

I nodded wordlessly, glancing again at Hinata and Sakura. "But," I finally said as Hinata glanced my way and met my gaze for a heavy moment, "I'm serious about leaving her alone. She's just so…happy…no, she's _at peace _when she's around you. And she's not…like _that _with me," I added as Hinata smiled and looked away. I didn't know what else to tell him. So I just shrugged resignedly and sighed.

Bushy-Brow chuckled lightly as he followed my gaze as I continued to stare at my little nighttime girl. "Something tells me, you will not have to look too far to find someone like that for your own," he said in a tone that made him sound all wise.

He was right. I grinned, and then suddenly hugged him, laughing like an idiot.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

As we sat eating in that cozy little diner, I couldn't help but wonder if Naruto-kun had finally come to understand how I felt about him, even just a little bit. And, even more daringly, I dared to hope that he'd _actually _begun to reciprocate my feelings, even just a little bit.

This simple, hopeful idea made me hum with pleasure—a simple, nameless love song that made my body feel warm in a way that was distinctly otherworldly compared to my embarrassing blushes. If those darn blushes were a burn, _this _was a glow. I could walk on air. I could fly. I could _breathe. _

_And_ I could reach out and shyly caress the back of his hand from across the table.

He grinned at me and snatched my hand up, and started to play with my fingers. The scars that the demon's chakra had left were nearly all gone. They _were _all gone from my _arms, _actually_._ Now, they were just pale red spider web marks on my palms that didn't seem far from disappearing altogether. It would make me perversely happy when the only marks left from that awful day were from the _enemy. _Mainly because, the more marks that disappeared, the more often he found it necessary to touch my hands.

I giggled self-consciously as he grabbed my second hand and made me clap, like a two-year-old with his mother. He grinned mischievously, letting me know with his eyes that he was just playing. When he let go of my hands, I poked his nose with my thumb, and I could feel his hot breath on my skin.

Of all the things I could do, I couldn't _say _how I felt…but I was getting there.

--

When dinner was over, Naruto-kun took me to his apartment so we could watch a movie he'd rented.

His apartment was in a neighborhood I'd never been in before, and it was smaller that I'd thought it'd be. It was a little cluttered, but homey. I liked it. There were some clothes on the floor, but he scooped them up and ran them off to his bedroom before I really registered their presence. The front door led right to his living room, where there was a shabby old red couch that could use replacing, but I imagined he probably couldn't afford a new one, at least not on a genin's salary. A couple of yards in front of the couch, there was a little table with a small television on it, with an old VCR on top.

Naruto-kun saw me taking in his little home, and laughed uneasily, obviously a little ashamed. "It's messy," he said in an apologetic tone, moving a pile of manga books from the couch to his kitchen table. (The kitchen was separated from the living room by a small island counter.)

"No, no, no!" I replied, a little too loudly for the enclosed space. He looked over at me with one raised eyebrow, surprised I was challenging the obvious truth. "No," I repeated, "no, I like it. It's nothing like home. It feels…"—I searched for the right word, to describe the warm, tender feeling in my gut that his home gave me—"lived-in. Not like home. It's good." I nodded decidedly. That was the best I could do to sum it up.

He smiled then, letting go of a breath that I hadn't known he was holding. Relieved.

"I don't know what kind of movies you like," he said, rubbing his neck as he changed the subject, "but I found something that might work."

He dug through a bag on his table and pulled out a VHS with the words _"THE LAND OF LOVE"_ written in fat pink letters, and there was a corny-looking couple holding hands in front of a lake right under the title. They had ninja headbands around their necks, and there was a heart on each of the metal pieces. I couldn't help but laughing, unable to imagine how in the _world _he'd managed to pick _anything _like that. He was either trying to be ironically romantic, or he'd just picked it up at random.

He laughed, too. He must've been thinking the same thing.

--

It was a romantic comedy, and not a very good one. The jokes were inane, the characters were unrealistic, the script consisted of nothing but sap, corn, cheese, and fluff…but it was hilarious. It was just so _bad _that Naruto-kun and I couldn't stop cackling. I felt bad, because a lot of people obviously worked very hard to make it romantic, but it was so terribly overdone that we were still laughing by the time the main characters _died _at the end.

It was fun, laughing and sitting so close to Naruto-kun. Especially with this awkward/awesome semi-relationship we were in—twenty minutes into the movie, he put his arm on the top of the couch behind my back, so my head kept touching his arm whenever I leaned back to cackle. Which was fun. It made me realize something…something that I'd never really considered before.

We didn't _have_ to make big confessions of love and lifelong devotion just to _be together. _I didn't _have _to _tell _him anything. I _could _just try to _be _with him, and that would make it easier for everyone. I wouldn't have to figure out how exactly to confess, and he wouldn't have to say the feeling was mutual, wouldn't have to stress out over getting over Sakura-san in a hurry…if we just tried to just _be _instead of _say_…things might work.

_If_, of course, he felt _anything _and wasn't just being heartbreakingly friendly…

* * *

**Naruto POV **

By the time we got to the credits at the end of that damn awful movie, I was watching the girl beside me more than the screen. She seemed to be thinking about something very hard, and I could tell by the look on her face—and by her slightly flushed face—that it was probably important…and probably had something to do with me.

Over the last week, Hinata and I had been practically inseparable, out of some common _need _for affection. And, during that time when I was actually _paying attention_, I came to realize that…well…I think Hinata felt something for me, too. Which was strange, because, well, she wasn't acting that much differently from when we were younger; if anything, she was just a little more confident, now. Did that mean…she loved me first? That idea made me feel…dumb.

I didn't know, though. And it didn't really matter. I knew now. I cared now.

When that crap-ass movie was finally over, Hinata got a decisive look in her eye, and she set her head purposefully on my shoulder. The hair on the back of my neck stood up on end at the brave, deliberate intimacy, and I coughed out another laugh. It was as if her body was responding to my inner thoughts, consenting to them.

"That movie really sucked," I said bluntly, but it came out in a nervous squeak—suddenly, this seemed _really _intimate. I mean, we were _alone _in my _apartment _at _night _and the room was _dark. _

Despite my hesitance, I slowly moved my arm so it rested on her shoulders, and I pulled her a little closer, feeling it distinctly as she got comfortable, leaning against my body—her own body got softer, lost some of its tension. Her hair tickled my nose and cheek, and I prayed that I wouldn't sneeze and ruin the closeness. After all, it isn't everyday you get to be alone in your apartment at night in a darkened room with a girl you love…

"Hinata?" I whispered in her ear, my voice dipping in volume and pitch. "Is this okay? Me…holding you like this?" I didn't usually feel the need to ask permission, but the darkness was making my uneasy.

I felt her sigh. "It's perfect," she mumbled, boldly resting her forehead in the notch between my neck and collarbone. I could feel her eyelashes on my neck, her breath on my throat. I wondered idly if she was planning on falling asleep…

We sat quietly for another five minutes or some, motionless. I wanted…I wanted to do something…something more than just hold her. Something to illustrate the warmth in my chest, the tingly feeling under my skin, the itch in my fingers. Maybe…maybe I could…I mean, if she didn't mind me holding her…maybe she wouldn't mind me…kissing her. I mean, we didn't have to be head-over-heels, passionately, out-of-our-minds in love to just kiss, right? It's not like we would make out or get betrothed or anything…Just a little kiss. Besides…

Making an impulse decision, I shifted my weight a little, positioning us so that we were more or less facing each other, with my hands on her arms. One of her hands rested on my knee, and she gazed deeply into my eyes, slowly realizing what was happening. Her eyebrows rose up high on her forehead, and then wrinkled upwards with wariness and uncertainty. Uncertain about _what,_ though?_ Her_ feelings or _mine_?

I decided I didn't care. She was making me fall in love with her, and wanted to act on it. Let her know. Show her that I would be happy _with her_…

My face moved closer to hers. Her eyes were hooded, a little unfocused, her lips were pursed and waiting…and my eyelids drifted closed…I could practically feel the heat of her cheeks radiating onto my face…

But suddenly, I heard her take a deep breath and almost shriek, "I have to go away on a mission tomorrow morning!"

I leaned back, blinking and disoriented, as if her words had broken the trance I'd willingly put myself under. They'd really just destroyed our mutual calm, making everything in the dark room seem too bright, too distinct. Made me too aware of everything, and now I was just confused. It took me a second to remember that we were _ninjas._ Vacations like this were rare, and I shouldn't have expected it to last much longer. I sighed and let go of her arms, grudgingly releasing _the moment_ at the same time.

"Yeah?" I asked. "How long will you be gone, d'ya think?"

She squirmed restlessly, seemingly as upset as I was. Silently, she scooted a few inches away from me. "A week. Maybe two…no, probably two. We're going…far." She lowered her gaze, blatantly avoiding mine.

"Oh," I said, unhappy with myself. I scrutinized her frowning expression, and tried to make myself sound a little more cheerful. "Oh, okay then. I should probably take you home, then."

She nodded, perceptibly grateful for the attempt at kindness. "I guess so."

* * *

**Hinata POV **

_What_ the _heck _was _wrong_ with me?! He was _going _to _kiss_ _me_, and all I could tell him was that I was going away for two weeks!?! Darn it! I should've just _let him_ kissme, and told him _later!_

I was so _stupid_! Stupid, stupid_, stupid_!

And now things were _awkward_. I was _sure_ that he knew that _I _knew that he was going to kiss me. He must've felt weird now. Rejected. I sighed a little too loudly, and he glanced at me with a concerned mumble.

And now he wasn't walking as close to me as usual, which made me feel even worse—dumb. I wanted terribly to bump his hand with mine…darn me and my shyness!

And we weren't even talking, either. He was either worried about me going away, or angry that we hadn't kissed, or upset over the idea that I might not _want _to kiss…or something, because he was ungodly quiet. It was just wrong.

I chewed on my bottom lip.

And I was _still _biting my lip by the time we got to my home. Naruto-kun stopped and stared up at the Hyuuga crest at the top of the complex gate, a bemused look on his face.

"Be careful on your mission, Hinata," he said, turning to give me a scrunchy-eyed grin. "I don't wanna see anymore scars."

I nodded. "I'll be careful. I promise."

"And hurry home," he added in a teasingly stern tone of voice, slipping back into his usual self.

I smiled, trying to keep up with the suddenly friendly atmosphere. "I will…and, I had fun tonight, N-Naruto-kun."

He smiled wider, his bright blue eyes glowing with expectation. "Me, too."

And then…we just stood there. Gazing at each other, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken desires and promises, but not doing anything. I _wanted _to do things…so many things… But, it was late, my spine was too tense, my face was too hot, and I just couldn't quit kicking myself for _not _kissing him to stop long enough _to _kiss him.

So, knowing that we'd have to be separated for a while, I stepped up to him, wrapped my arms so tightly around his waist that he squeaked in shock…and I didn't even give him enough time to hug me back before I murmured an apologetic goodbye and scurried off to my room.

Stupid, stupid, _stupid._

_

* * *

_

(A/N)

_OH MY GOD, AN UPDATE?!?!? **GASP!**_

_Please forgive the SUPER LONG wait, the semi-fluff, and the all-around crap-chapter. Not to mention the whole "I WANT YOU TO KISS ME, BUT I'M GONNA STOP YOU ANYWAY" thing Hinata did. She's **mildly** frustrating. _

_This would've been up a lot faster, but the latest Naruto chapters kind of set me off...and I didn't have a lot of ideas left...hence the crap-chap._

_Hope you like it anyway. Hopefully I'll do a better job, next chappy. :)_

_Much love.  
Miyazaki A2_

* * *


	14. Craptastic Week

**Hinata POV**

It's hard to go soul-searching while on a mission, but after I told my teammates what—almost—happened with Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun gave me plenty of opportunities to think about my life.

"So, Shino, I heard this really funny story the other day." He put his finger on his chin and conjured up a sagely expression. "There was once this really pretty girl. For a good portion of her life, the girl wanted nothing more than to be acknowledged by the boy she loved. And when she finally got _that_…the boy went and tried to kiss her!"

I sighed. This was at least the third time he'd told this story—or at least a variation of it—since we left Konoha. And this was his favorite part. There was no use trying to get him to shut up. People are always going to do what they're always going to do. My teammates didn't usually tease me so openly, but since Kurenai-sensei was—_ahem_—on –_coughcoughHACK_—leave, they weren't as gentle as they would've been under her mothering eye.

"But the girl, she got scared and ran away. And no one knows what happened, or why she left. Some people say she was secretly a masochist, and what scared her was the thought of all her dreams coming true and living a happy life." For a moment, he broke character and sniggered behind his hand. Then, he raised his eyes to the heavens, seemingly pleading for something. "Others say she simply had to go back to work, and used that as an excuse to get away because she didn't feel ready for the boy's affection." He looked right at me and gave me an enormous, over-zealous eye-roll. "But that is _just _a theory."

"Interesting girl," Shino-kun replied from my other side, giving me a secret, sidelong smile with his dark grey eyes, from behind his sunglasses.

"Pathetic girl, actually," Kiba disagreed, playfully elbowing me in the ribs. I buried my face in my hands for a moment, trying in vain to hide my self-conscious giggling.

--

Our assignment was to track a young man who worked for the nobles of the Gem Country. While the little country was very rich, it was always a bit too cheap and stingy when it came to with its allies. And as such, it was in financial trouble with nearly all its neighboring countries and shinobi villages. So, it called on Konoha for this mission.

Supposedly, this man was an enemy to the nobility. But when they explained how he came upon this title, it turned out that he had merely stolen a few jewels and defected from the complex where he was more or less a slave. While we—especially Kiba—were a little annoyed that we had to chase some petty jewel thief, we agreed nonetheless. After all, we wanted our paychecks.

We were about to be on our way—just had to finish packing foodstuffs—when the head noble's daughter, a princess in all but legal title named Hideyo, interrupted our exeunt. She was about my age, maybe older, but very delicate, very sheltered. Everything about her was paled from obvious lack of sunlight—from her long, platinum blonde curls to her porcelain face to her baby blue eyes.

At first she stood in the doorway of the foyer and watched us with her bored-looking, sophisticated eyes, and eventually walked to my side with the grace of a swan.

"Shinobi-san?" she breathed with her melodic, jingling voice.

I looked up at her, just nodded respectfully, and replied, "Yes, Hideyo-dono?"

"I just wanted to clear something up about this mission. I know that my father said that it doesn't matter if you bring the thief back dead or alive…but I want to clarify that it is important that he comes home _alive_." She spoke with a stern air, as if I was little more than one of her slaves to command as she pleased.

"My team and I were not planning on using deadly force," I replied quietly.

"Yes, I'm sure, and I thank you for that kindness. But I also really need you to make sure the thief does not escape. He _must _come home—I mean, _back_. He must come back." She raised her nose in the air, giving me the impression that she had been brought up to think that shinobi were quite a lesser species and couldn't follow simple orders.

"Yes, ma'am," I whispered, hoping to sooth her.

"Do you understand me? You all mustn't fail!" she demanded.

"Hey, Hideyo, what's your issue?" Kiba-kun called defensively against her arrogant snarls, striding forward to stand ready at my flank. His monster-sized canine followed close at hand. Shino-kun stayed back where he was, but he turned his body towards the goings-on over here, which was probably threatening enough. "What, did this guy steal your special ruby or something?"

She turned a purely unattractive glare towards him, her face turning red with anger—or embarrassment, perhaps. "No, he didn't steal anything from me. Not a jewel, at least. I just have unfinished business with him, that's all." She couldn't seem to meet any of our gazes, not even Akamaru's.

I stuffed a small baggie of peanuts into a pocket of my little knapsack. "We'll do our best."

"No, you need to do better than that!" Suddenly, she sounded much younger than I was—a spoiled preteen whose parents were taking away her telephone rights. "I—he's very—I need him back."

"She probably loves the guy," Kiba-kun teased carelessly, giving a blasé wave of his hand. "A princess and pauper love story, only the pauper ain't too keen on the—"

"_Fine_!" She finally cracked. "I _adore _the man. It's killing me that he ran away from home. Happy?"

Shino-kun scoffed from across the room. "It's killing you so much so that you're willing to drag him back into a lifestyle where he has no freedoms as a worker—that which he risked his life to escape?"

She opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, taken aback by Shino's brusque analysis. "But—he, he left me all alone here!"

"He probably doesn't even know how you feel, does he?" Kiba growled, eyeing her with disgust. All attempts at diplomacy were long behind him.

He was obviously right on the mark. Her face went blank except for her blatant and perpetual haughtiness, and her spine visibly stiffened. "I was scared to tell him," she admitted. Then, she continued with a wrinkled nose. "He was my_ servant_." I could easily tell that she thought even the man she adored was inferior to her.

At first, I'd wanted to defend her position, because I'd thought could relate with her fear of rejection and all that went with unrequited love. But her unpleasant countenance and deep-rooted pride upset me—she was lucky enough to love someone, but her demeanor had nothing to show for it. Perhaps I was being harsh, but it seemed to me that if she really cared about the young man, she would have been happier that _he _was happy. Didn't she know that if we brought him back, he would be arrested, and then she'd _never _see him again? I wanted to be understanding towards her, but this anger clouded my judgment.

"Well," I growled, "if you loved him, you should have done something about it. He ran away because he was unhappy, and there's nothing to do about that. Your father won't let a thief work for him—I'm sorry, Hideyo-dono, but I really don't think you'll ever see this young man again." I scowled harshly at her self-absorbed shock, and then stood up with my knapsack. "We'll find the man and bring him back, but not for your sake."

And then, before any of us could find words to accompany my romantic outburst, I stormed out of the building, red-faced and picturing the object of my own affections to calm myself.

--

We were about five minutes out of town. Akamaru, having sniffed an item that had belong to the poor, young defector, was at the nose, followed closely by Kiba-kun. Shino-kun and I were at the rear.

"Allow me to be blunt," Shino-kun said quietly as we raced through the forest, following the trail left behind by our quarry, "but I honestly thought you were going to eat that woman."

I couldn't reply. My Byakugan was sharply trained ahead of me, so my brain was elsewhere. Also, I didn't want to think about that horrid, selfish woman. It'd just make me mad.

"But you were right," Shino-kun went on, obviously monologuing, "to scold her. Her brand of cowardly, selfish love is hardly a love at all."

"Aw, c'mon," Kiba-kun called from ahead, "let's not make any big epic romantic confessions or realizations today! We've got a job, remember? We should be able to catch this guy sometime tomorrow if we stay on this trail and maintain this speed!" Kiba-kun wasn't usually the one to remember business was business, but the spat with Hideyo had obviously set us all off.

I nodded, having not uttered a single syllable since scolding that wannabe-princess. I found that this was best. I wasn't tailored for anger or scorn, but dwelling on the sources of these emotions made them fester and thrive within my heart—an idea that I wasn't fond of.

So I kept my mind far away, a few weeks in the future, planning the time when I would finally take my own advice.

_If you loved him, you should have done something about it…_I could handle that.

--

We found him a little earlier than Kiba had predicted, and it was easy to take him down. He was barely even walking, obviously completely exhausted, more of a zombie than a person. Akamaru simply had to pounce on him, and he toppled over, hitting his chin solidly on the ground. He let out a groan and tried to crawl away, but it was much too easy for Kiba to grab him under the arms and drag him to his feet.

Adrenalin made the man struggle a bit livelier, but Kiba's trained, toned body was like an iron vice compared to the servant's.

But then, I jumped in front of him and put two fingers over his lips. I motioned for him to silence himself, and he seemed so terrified that he could do nothing but comply.

"Good morning," I murmured as he bit his own lips to keep from spitting back at me. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I was charged by your former master to retrieve you and bring you back to his complex."

"I figured as much," he grumbled, giving me the evil eye. I put a finger on his lips again, and he hushed.

I gave him a purposefully angelic smile, one I'd practiced for the last three hours. "We don't have to follow our orders, though. We…my team and I have reason to let you go unscathed." Though he initially gaped at me as if I were insane, he eventually nodded eagerly. "But, there is one condition to our thoughts…do you still have those jewels you stole?"

His expression nearly darkened. "I have them, yes. But, I need them! I can't survive out in the real world unless I have some money—I have to sell these jewels!" He bared his teeth at me, now realizing that I fully intended to take his sole means of livelihood from him.

"It's them or your life," I replied, shrugging and smiling, intentionally placid. Kiba and Shino had warned me that if I argued too much with his logic, we'd just end up killing him or sending him to jail for the rest of his existence. "Kiba, let him go."

Our young prisoner seemed taken aback that we were even considering mercy; it was hard to remember that these people grew up being angry with shinobi. He didn't even try to run away when Kiba-kun released his arms.

"Why are you doing this? I could be dangerous."

He didn't seem to know what the bulging veins in my eyes meant. I quickly looked him over and saw that he was pathetically unarmed. And he did still have all eight gems that had been declared missing. Poor guy.

"Kiba—they're in his pocket, left leg."

The young man—a wretched little thing, really, all skin and bones—yelped as Kiba retrieved the gems from his pocket, and glared daggers at him as he tossed them to Shino for safekeeping.

"I'm sorry, but this is the only way you'll see the light of day tomorrow," Kiba-kun explained. "We're going to tell your master that we killed you—your body fell into that river, and we were only able to save these gems." He pointed to the river in question, only a couple dozen feet away from us, which raged with rapids and little waterfalls—a body would be ripped to shreds in there. "So don't try to go back. These jewels are the only thing he really cares about anyway."

He was speechless as we bounded away.

When we were about ten minutes away from where we'd left him when Kiba-kun crowed with laughter. "_That'll _piss off that bitch!" he sang rapturously.

"That's all that really matters in the long run," Shino-kun replied. "Princesses that don't deserve their happy endings should leave them for the ones that do."

"I'm going to pretend that made sense." Kiba-kun rolled his eyes. "You know, this mission was kind of lame. That story I told you earlier would have been so much better if we hadn't wasted all this time. I mean, crap, it takes a week just to get to this freaking country!!"

"Oh, Kiba-kun, don't be angry," I cooed. "Let's just get home. I heard an alternate ending to that story you told, and it has me immensely interested."

He raised one, teasing eyebrow. "Oh, really? This I gotta see."

--

But when we got back to Konoha, things weren't as they had been before, so I was given no chance to write that alternate ending I was yearning for.

Nearly all the faces I recognized were shadowed with gloom, which caused my heart to flutter too quickly with despairing premonitions. When we came to report to Tsunade-sama—who berated us briefly for our conduct with the jewel-thief—she told us that it would be kind of us to pay a visit to Kurenai-sensei. Her face, too, sagged with unhappiness.

The dark cloud over everyone's heads was easy to understand, however, once the Hokage told us that Asuma-sensei had died.

--

Kurenai-sensei utterly wilted in my arms. Her sturdy, well-trained form just turned into jello as soon as my team and I walked through the door. Shikamaru-san was in there with her, and she'd seemed to be keeping things together. But when she saw us, her little rookie genin squad, she broke down and recommenced in weeping.

It wasn't good to see her like this.

I hugged her close to me. We had all known what Asuma-sensei had meant to her—she hadn't tried to hide how he made her heart soar, made her soul complete. And she certainly hadn't tried to hide the little baby-bump he'd given so lovingly to her.

Kiba-kun snaked an arm around her shoulders, Shino-kun stroked her long, dark hair, and my arms were completely around her waist, her head tucked in the crook of my neck and shoulder. Her form periodically heaved with misery—her breathing was rough and strained. We tried in vain to calm her, but her pain was too deep. There was nothing we could do but be there for her.

--

The funeral was a couple of days later. I saw Naruto-kun there, but I didn't dare try to speak to him. My team was my whole world right then, and it wouldn't be fair for me to go off and try to get a boyfriend when my sensei's husband had just passed away.

_He_ saw _me_ at the funeral, too. Our eyes met for a long moment, and then he smirked at me. If it wasn't for the fact that he was probably crying with the rest of rookie 9, I would say that his eyes sparkled.

--

He came and found me that night, though. I'd been on my way home from Kurenai-sensei's home. I think he'd been waiting for me. I wasn't sure. I was pretty sure that his apartment was in the opposite direction he'd been headed, so maybe he _was _here for me. I really just didn't know. My mind was in a haze.

He smiled at me in the dim light of dusk, and somehow I found strength to smile back. I didn't want to say anything. Smiling would have sufficed. Our smiles were small and flimsy—just a twitch of the lips and we'd be scowling—but it was a comfort, I'm sure, for each of us to see the tiny gesture.

Slowly, I strode towards him. I felt no desire to kiss him, or embrace him, or even say a word. I just looked at him for a moment, and then rested my forehead on his collarbone. I was exhausted. I could have collapsed right there, on his feet, and have been content.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

My poor girl. My poor little Hinata. She looked like she hadn't slept the entire time she'd been gone. And now_ this_. Somehow, by some final strand of naivety, none of us had ever _dreamed_ that we'd lose a _teacher_—it hit us all hard, reminded us of the mortality of ourselves and our loved ones. And by the shadows and tearstains under Hinata's eyes, I figured she hadn't been excluded from the pain this death had presented to us all. For a moment, I wished she _had_ been. I didn't like to see her all teary-eyed and whimpering. It wasn't a good look on her. Hers was a face meant for smiles.

I put my hands on her upper arms and pulled her a little closer to me. It wasn't a hug, just a touch to show her that I was there, that everything was okay, that I cared. She whined a little, so I bent my head down a little to gently touch her forehead with my lips. Now, she giggled meekly and burrowed her head in the crook of my shoulder, allowing me to embrace her more properly, though she flinched a little at the contact.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," I cooed, adding the suffix just because I knew it would make her blush a little and lift her spirits. I'm not sure if it worked, but I thought I might have felt her laugh against my neck for a moment. "You look sleepy."

"I could sleep forever." Her voice was faint, a ghost of her usual, lovable manner.

"Holy crap, don't do that. Then who would I hang out with all day?" I stroked her hair for a second. "How was your mission?"

"I hated it," she said simply. "I lied about a jewel thief's death to spite the horrible woman who claimed to love him."

"Sounds fun."

She finally did laugh at that, though the sound was harsh and tired, as if it was just for my sake. "How has your training been going, Naruto-kun?" she asked, pulling away from my arms to look up at me.

I remembered the past events with a distinct fondness, grinning like I was in hog-heaven. "Well, I've more or less mastered this pretty badass technique that would blow your socks off if you saw it, and if you wore any. I won't lie to you, Hinata. I've gotten pretty damn awesome."

She shrugged and murmured, "I'm sure you were already."

I chuckled at her pink face. "Now, you don't have to flatter me, Hinata! C'mon, let's get you home before you start worshiping the ground I walk on." I'd pretty much decided that the only way to get her up from the dumps was to embarrass her into a state of jubilation.

I guess it worked, because she giggled meekly and put her hand in the crook of my arm and allowed me to walk her quite jokingly home.

--

She was quiet on the way to her home, obviously thinking about something that was more important than my playful mocking—which was an easy concept to wrap my mind around. So I eventually shut my big mouth and just walked with her. My mind wandered as well once I shut up, wandered back to early that day.

Grandma Tsunade had called me into her office a few hours before the funeral and told me the whole story of Asuma-sensei's death. Mainly about how it had been an Akatsuki member who had murdered him. And that meant that they were getting closer to Konoha. I cussed right in front of her when she told me. I'd known that they'd be coming after me sooner or later…but I'd been hoping that it'd be _later _and that none of my comrades would have to fall on the Akatsuki's sword first. It'd been a close call with Gaara…I couldn't let this go on much longer.

For about the gazillion-th time since I learned of its existence, I cursed the Kyuubi no Kitsune that resided within my soul. It was the entire reason my life tended to suck sometimes. The only reason the Akatsuki were coming after me. The only reason those bastards planned on killing me, stealing me away from everyone I cared about.

I looked down at Hinata, my dear little moon-eyed girl, and sighed heavily. I wondered idly if she knew anything about the Akatsuki and their not-so-hidden agenda with me. I figured that she was most likely ignorant of all this, or else she would probably bring it up. Or cry harder. Or both.

Grandma Tsunade wanted me to stay in Konoha until this most recent Akatsuki business was over and done with, wanted me to stay and continue my training like nothing was wrong. But I didn't like that idea. I would have been much happier if I was allowed to go out and _use _my training. She argued that I would be putting myself in their slimy clutches—I promptly replied that this wouldn't be the case if I _beat _them. So, thanks to my superior skills of persuasion, we compromised. Tomorrow, she would be sending teams out to look for these criminals—if need be, she would send my squad as backup.

I wouldn't tell Hinata either of these things—the Akatsuki's desire to murder my ass or my intention to fight them soon—tonight. But I'd have to tell her soon. Because I was 99% sure that I _would _be fighting the Akatsuki tomorrow, with or without Grandma Tsunade's permission. After all, as a future Hokage, I would have to take responsibility for these types of things. And I owed it to her to let her know beforehand if I was going to run headlong into a-little-less-than-certain death.

But, it would completely freak her out to hear all this, wouldn't it?! But it's not like I could _not _tell her!

_Crap_, this shouldn't have been so difficult.

--

We stopped in front of her complex, and it was harder to say goodbye this time, so I decided to forego that particular exercise. Instead, I looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close enough to whisper in her ear, "Meet me in the training field tomorrow morning. Around 9:00? Okay with you?"

She nodded without a sound, biting her lower lip. "I'll be there," she murmured, and then wiped her eyes.

Smiling, I nuzzled my forehead to hers and laughed before removing my hands from her body and backing off. I put my hands in my pockets and giving her a sideways smile. "Sleep well, Hinata."

Her lips twitched. "You, too, Naruto-kun."

I nodded. My breath quivered as I turned away from her, but I had to get some sleep. If things worked out like Grandma Tsunade predicted, things could get pretty hairy pretty easily tomorrow.

Forgive the lame-ass metaphor, but I kind of wished that things would stay bald for once.

--

I could barely sleep that night, and when I finally _did _close my eyes, my dreams were plagued with shadow clones and red clouds and too much chakra and the rasengan. I tossed and turned in my unconsciousness, and when I woke up, I was on the floor, my limbs tangled in my bed-sheets.

Luckily, I hadn't slept too late, so I hurriedly put myself back together and flew into the shower, eager to get this sure-to-be-_craptastic_ day over with.

This particular visit to the training field wouldn't be fun.

* * *

**_(A/N)_**

**You know, I always promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those authors that would wait nearly two months to get the next chapter of a ficcy out. But, whaddaya gonna do. I got distracted and stuck and had lots of school work to do. ((_bows over in shame_))**

**I really, really hope you like this chapter okay. I literally wrote it in one sitting, mostly for the sake of getting back on the ball, so please forgive any crap and/or suckage. D: **

**I reallly wanted to give Hinata a chance to chew somebody out about standing up for yourself when you love someone, hence the badly-written princess-wannabe. ;) You know, sometimes I feel like I write Kiba (and sometimes Shino) like Hinata's gay friend, just by the way he's always bugging her about Naruto. This wasn't initially my intention, but now I just roll with it. XD**

**Much love!  
Miyazaki A2**


	15. False Levity

**Hinata POV**

I buried my face in my hands and groaned out loud, alone in Naruto-kun's training field. It was a few minutes past 9:00, and though I tried my best not to worry about whatever Naruto-kun wanted to talk to me about, every second of suspense that passed bred new dread within me, dread I couldn't explain. After all, he hadn't said anything all that ominous…Just more bad premonitions, I suppose.

My breathing became a little easier when Naruto-kun finally showed up and hurried to my side. But once I registered his grim expression, all hopes of pleasant conversation fled my heart like villagers from an active volcano.

"Mornin', Hinata," he said with a sober smile.

"Good morning, N-Naruto-kun." I paused and bit the inside of my cheek for a second. "Naruto-kun, I've been worrying about this all night, so can we not…" I hesitated again, biting my lower lip, horrified that I might have accidentally sounded rude.

"Let's not beat around the bush?" he finished for me, his smile growing a little teasing. But when I nodded, his smile shrunk. "Let's sit down, then," he mumbled, sinking onto the moist grass and criss-crossing his legs. I followed suit, unconsciously leaning towards him as he looked up into the sky and addressed the heavens.

"Okay, so…how much do you know about the Akatsuki organization?"

* * *

**Naruto POV **

She didn't respond at first, so I turned to raise an eyebrow at her. She sat beside me, staring at the ground with the most perplexed, frustrated expression I'd ever seen on her, and for a moment, I wondered if the grass had somehow offended her in a language only she understood. But finally, she shrugged and admitted, "Not much. Kurenai-sensei only told us they were responsible for Asuma-sensei's death, but that's about it. But I'm sure they pretty s-strong, just with that information…"

I sighed in distaste. I'd been hoping that she'd know a bit more—it'd make this morning so much easier.

"Well, for starters," I began, running a hand through my hair, "they're really bad, really powerful people…all defectors from their own Villages…and, while I'm not completely sure of their agenda…I _do _know that they seek…to steal bijuu from jinchuriki…thereby _killing _the jinchuriki…like me."

I tried not to look at her as she processed what I said. The air was heavy with undelivered dialogue. At the last second, I wondered if I was doing this the wrong way—should I have left this explanation to the Pervy Sage or Grandma Tsunade, or somebody who actually _understood _all of this nonsense? What if I gave her the wrong idea, or blatantly misinformed her? Craaaaaaaaaaaaap.

Finally, she stirred beside me, shaking her head in obvious disbelief. "They w-want to…k-k-kill you?" she whimpered. "Because of th-the k-kyuubi?" She unconsciously rubbed at her now-unmarked arms.

"Yeah," I confirmed quietly. Suddenly, having it said out loud, and by poor little Hinata no less, made the words inexplicably threatening—despite the fact that I had accepted them nearly three years ago. I rushed to compensate for the uneasiness I had placed in both of us. "It's sick, but it's true. I'm sorry, but I had to tell you, Hinata. I couldn't just—I needed you to know—"

"No, no, I understand. Thank you for telling me, N-Naruto-kun. It's…important that I knew this…" She feigned a smile for my sake, but I could clearly see the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

I nodded numbly, only barely aware of my surroundings—my mind was distant again as I wondered how she would take it if I told her the rest…

She and I were too close, I guess, because she could read my expression in an instant, and seemed to understand that I wasn't being completely open with her.

"Is there something else, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm not sure if I want to say it," I confessed, warily meeting her gaze. I smiled sheepishly. "You might not like it, I don't think."

She reached for my hand, not even seeming to think about it, and squeezed my fingers. "You…you aren't going to do something…_stupid,_ are you?"

Nearly all the tension was alleviated right there—I laughed out loud at how her pleading expression and condescending words contrasted, and at the fact that she was sort of right on the mark.

"I wouldn't call it stupid—just a little dangerous and brave."

She frowned and bit her lower lips. He eyes were still watery despite my sudden levity. Her eyes said what her manners wouldn't allow her voice to: _'Those can be one in the same when it comes to __**you**__, Naruto-baka.'_

What she _did _say was this: "What _are_ you planning on doing, Naruto-kun?" Her cool fingers pulsed around mine again.

I smiled self-consciously, bracing myself for whatever assuredly-negative response she would be able to give me. "I, uh, well…Well, Grandma Tsunade…Ah, I should just spit it out…I'm going to fight the Akatsuki today, with this new technique I've learned. I need to."

Her fingers were suddenly so tight around mine that I was pretty sure my nails would pop right off from the pressure.

Her expression was one I could only remember seeing a handful of times…and even then, it was while she was in a fierce battle with someone who really pissed her off.

Her eyes were wide, but her brow was low, casting a shadow over the miniature moons that floated in her skull. Her nostrils flared and her lips, which only seconds before had been pursed with gentle, affectionate concern, were now thin and curled over her teeth in a disbelieving scowl. Again, I could see the tears in her eyes, and I cursed my lack of foresight.

"You're going _after _them?!" she shrieked. The sound of her own voice seemed to surprise her, because she abruptly snapped her mouth closed. When she continued speaking, her voice came filtered through a wall of clenched teeth. "They k-killed Asuma-sensei, N-Naruto…a _jonin!_ D-do you—I know you're s-strong, b-but I—I don't w-want you to—I b-b-believe in you, b-but—" She couldn't seem to decide what to say. Her brain was miles ahead and her mouth couldn't keep up. Her stutter, which had been absent of late, came back with a vengeance as terror and despair infiltrated her mind. The moisture in her eyes finally brimmed over, dripping down the smooth plains of her face like raindrops on a window pane.

I squeezed her hand back, the conflicting pressure of our grips turning our fingers red and sore. "Hinata, Hinata, don't _cry_! Crap, don't cry!!" Okay, I hadn't expected _this_. I wished she would yell at me and call me a reckless idiot, not weep like I'd already been defeated. Damn it, how could I fix this?! "What are you crying for?! Don't you know that I—"

"Naruto!" she interrupted me in a soggy—yet still quite furious—voice. "It's—_I'm fine. _I just s-_scared. _I don't want…I just…You should _realize _by now that…_I_ _don't want to lose you_." She wriggled her hand out of my grip and wrapped her arms around her legs as she pulled her knees to her chest. She still looked angry with me. "I s-spoke to Shikamaru-san," she explained, rubbing her eyes, "about the men who killed his sensei…they're _monsters_, Naruto."

"Monsters don't scare me," I argued, shaking my head and smiling uncomfortably. "Besides, haven't I told you? I'm not gonna die until long after I become Hokage…these bastards are just pebbles in the road. So don't worry. Have some faith in me." My smile grew a bit warmer as I hoped that she would see the rationality in my words.

"I have nothing _but _faith in you!" she squeaked. "Naruto, I told you, I _know _how strong you are. I—" She sighed, obviously frustrated, but trying to calm down. She looked away from me, just into the distance, unable to look at me. "I'm sorry for crying…and yelling. It was just a—a shock. A lot to take it."

I snorted, shaking my head. Yeah, I realized that _now_. "Yeah, I know. That was my fault."

She smirked for a moment, nodding in agreement. Then, the gloom once more shrouded her features. "I worry every time someone I care about goes on a mission…especially when there's absolutely nothing I can do to help them…"

"Well, there _is _something you can do," I replied, leaning back on my hands and smiling lazily at her.

Her head whipped around to face me, her lips curving into a hopeful smile. "Really? What?"

I narrowed my eyes and reached out towards her face to wipe away those damn tears. "You can _relax_," I told her. "Worrying won't do a darn thing, and it'd really help my game if I was sure you aren't going to be crying all day today."

My hand lingered on her cheek, and she leaned into my touch, sighing. "When are you leaving? Soon?"

My fingers slid down from her cheek to her arm, which I rubbed in order to comfort her. "Whenever one of the teams Granny sent out meets up with the bastards. I'm just backup."

"It _will _be soon, then," she grumbled. "Shikamaru-san—he and his team have been over at Kurenai-sensei's home a lot over the past few days; I'm sure that _they'll _be the ones to confront the Akatsuki."

"They're a little angry, huh?" I joked grimly.

"That's putting it lightly," she replied, scowling and obviously in the wrong mood for dark humor.

Crap, she looked so sulky. Not a good look on her.

I grabbed her hand and pulled us both to our feet. "C'mon, Hinata. Let's get out of here and take a walk. I've seen too much of this place lately." I let go over hand and started walking away, infinitely comforted when she followed close behind.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

He walked us through the center of town, doing his best to divert my attention away from anything to do with his inevitable mission. It was a kind effort, and not completely without it effects. I mean, there was no way that his joke about cats and moms on roofs was going to make me _forget _that he was soon to be willingly running headlong into the clutches of the people who wanted him dead…but I didn't quite feel like crying anymore. I probably would have a harder time keeping it together once I was alone, but at this moment, my teary initial reaction to his news seemed a little melodramatic.

But that reevaluation might have only been the product of the fact that he was right there with me, grinning and trying his very best to make me laugh.

At about 11 o'clock, a chunin stepped in front of us right about when Naruto-kun was staring to itch for some ramen. He told Naruto-kun that Shikamaru-san's team had met up with the Akatsuki—Naruto-kun had elbowed me at the confirmation of my premonition—and that Naruto's squad was to leave as backup ASAP.

When the chunin left to fill out the next item on his to-do list, Naruto-kun turned to face me full-on. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again as he seemed to change his mind about what he wanted to say.

"You wanna run back to my apartment with me? I've got to grab a few supplies. You don't have to. Just offering." He shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance, as if this was just an escort mission he was leaving on.

A wicked string of dread wrapped itself around my heart, pulled so tight that it cut into the tender muscle. Suddenly, I found myself incapable of saying goodbye. It'd been so much easier when we weren't as close as we were now—in the past, when I knew he'd be in danger, _he _didn't knew that _I _knew, so I didn't have to put on a brave-face for anyone. Furthermore, oftentimes I hadn't learned that his mission was all that dangerous until he came home to Konoha, bruised and exhausted.

But now, we spent more time together than anyone else, knew each other better than I had dared to hope. He knew what would upset me, and now I had to look into his deep blue eyes as he asked not to worry, _and _I had to try to comply.

But then…despite the extra stress this put on me, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Because I loved him.

So I smiled and agreed to help him gather his things.

I made sure to bump his hand with mine a few times as we hurried to his apartment.

--

My heart was a little heavier than I would have liked as I handed him a few extra shuriken, and my throat felt constricted s he zipped up his shuriken case. I could even feel fresh tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as we stepped out onto his porch and he locked his front door behind us. The imminent separation was nearly tangible now.

But then, he turned to face me, and our gazes met.

My heart stuttered and a familiar warmth crept into my cheeks. He was giving me _that _look again—the same one he'd given me that night on his couch, before our last separation…the look that made me thing, however cautiously, _'Maybe he loves me.'_

I felt myself grow lighter as my blood raced and my mind calmed. My lips spread into a gentle smile. I took a step closer to him, suddenly quite brave indeed, and grabbed the sleeves around his wrists. This was it; it had to be—the point of no return.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

The moments grew slow. I saw with great clarity every movement she made, yet only registered what was happening the heartbeat before it _did _happen.

My mind was already in Mission-Mode, for the most part. Despite the fact that my heart wanted me to stay right where I was, my body itched for the battlefield.

But then, when I turned to say goodbye to her, I finally noticed that she was looking depressed again. My mind almost instantaneously switched back to Make-Hinata-Smile-Mode. I can't tell you how awesome it was that she smiled the second after our gazes locked. It was an ego boost, to be sure.

Then, she did something that I was only just barely prepared for.

A blush erupted over her cheekbones as she stepped closer to me. My body tensed up for a second as her fingers moved to clutch the fabric around my wrists. Feeling the tension, she hesitated and sent me pleading eyes. We openly stared at each other for an immeasurable instant, and suddenly a look of pleasant determination crossed her delicate features.

She used my sleeves to pull me down to her level, and our lips _finally _collided. The kiss was soft and non-intrusive, gentle and tender, slow. It was so perfect, dreamlike, even. Though my eyes were closed, I could sense her perfectly. I could feel the warmth of her blood through her cheeks, tasted mint through her lips. Nothing existed but her.

In all seriousness, this was my first kiss, as it was the first time both parties were willing and enjoying themselves. Nothing like the kiss I had stolen from Sakura, which had been quick and forced and frightening…and it was another species altogether from the time my lips had accidentally found Sasuke's. (Eeeeew.)

Hinata was the first to pull away, and she wrapped her arms around my ribs, pressing her face against my body in an obvious attempt to avoid my gaze. Though it hadn't registered yet, everything from meeting her gaze to her hugging me had happened within the confines of about forty seconds.

"Do you want me to walk you to the Village Gates?" she offered against my shirt.

"You don't have to do that, Hinata," I answered, stroking her hair. I said this for a variety of reasons that I'm sure she understood—to begin with, this was the best goodbye we'd ever be able to come up with. If we dragged this out any longer, her heart might sink again, or we might have to _talk _about the feelings behind that kiss, and either way I would end up completely distracted from my mission. And if that didn't happen, I would probably try to kiss her again—not only would that be right in front of my friends, but it would be too soon, like we were already in a full-fledged relationship. I could tell that that kiss had been impulsive, and as ecstatic as I was that we had finally gotten to this point, we still had to talk.

And since there was no time to talk, I didn't want to have to _think_, either.

Hinata, being on the same wavelength as me, backed away from the embrace, just leaving her fingertips on my spine. "Goodbye, then, Naruto."

I rolled my eyes. I made a harsh buzzer-noise and said, "Wrong! The correct answer was _'I'll see you when you get back, Naruto._' Try again."

She smiled. "I'll see you when you get back, Naruto," she parroted, moving to wipe something out of her eye. She backed away a little more, creating a couple of feet between us.

"Yeah, you _will," _I replied, scrunching my eyes together and grinning. "See ya later, Hinata!" Laughing, I messed up her hair and pressed her nose with my thumb just seconds before running off. "And don't think I'll forget to get you back for that kiss!" I called over my shoulder, taking a chance.

I was satisfied to hear her squeak in shock, ever-shy despite her recent bout of courage. "That's my girl," I mumbled, shaking my head as I ran. I loved freaking her out.

--

Surprisingly, I wasn't the last one to show up at the Gates. Sakura-chan was, but only by a couple of minutes. She was fussing with her hair as we all set off running into the forest.

"What," I teased as she ran beside me, "did Bushy-Brow not feel like seeing you off?"

She glared daggers at me, but I could see a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. A light blush—a bubblegum-colored, less-radiant version of the cherry Hinata always turned into—erupted over the bridge of her nose and she ran her fingers through her hair again. "We went our separate ways back at his apartment," she clarified, sticking her tongue out. She quickly mimicked my teasing tone and shot back, "What about Hinata? Did she ditch you for being stupid and signing up for this mission?"

I scoffed. "Yeah right. I left her at _my _apartment, if you must know." Then, belatedly, my mind put two and two together and was suddenly barraged with the vision of a pink chibi and a green chibi kissing in the adorable way chibis have. It was kind of gross to think about, but I was a little biased.

"Now, Sakura-chan, by '_went our separate ways at his apartment_,' did you mean '_we quit making out once I remembered I had to go to work'_?" I mocked, watching from the corner of my eye as she turned a deep magenta.

I guess I should have predicted what happened next, but I think I'm a little dense sometimes.

"You disgraceful _pervert!!_" she roared, and then kicked my ass so hard that I ended up in the front of our procession.

* * *

**_(A/N)_**

**_Levity is imporant in time of crisis. Anger and despair only tear people apart._**

**_Even so, it was important for Hinata to get kinda mad at Naruto's recklessness, I think. She can't always be understanding and bubbly and all-for his success in battle. You know?_**

**_YEAH, I FINALLY HAD THEM KISS. I just REALLY wanted it to happen, so I went for it. Was it okay? Too early? Too rushed? Too dumb-sounding? Eh? EH?!?!_**

**_Lol, I actually liked this chapter, so you guys will just have to deal with it. ((gives you all big hugs and smooches on the noses))_**

**_Much love.  
Miyazaki A2_**


	16. Stealing and Comforting Hearts

"I…I k-kissed him…"

"You didn't!!"

"No, I did…"

"Shut up!"

"But I thought you—"

"Crap, did you hear that, Shino? Hinata did it!"

"I suppose that means you've won the bet, then, Kiba."

"What bet?"

"The bet Mothball and I made."

"You made a bet?"

"Yep. I bet that all your years of personal growth would finally push you to act on your deepest, dearest desires. Shino bet that the two of you would get so sexually frustrated with each other that you'd both implode."

"I didn't word it nearly as crudely as that. At any rate, congratulations, Hinata."

"Aw, cut the crap, Shino. Where's my money?"

"Idon'thaveany. Now, Hinata—"

"Hold it, hold it. What do you mean, 'don't have any'? We just got paid for that stupid princess mission a few days ago! …Tell me you didn't buy another ant farm."

"I didn't buy another ant farm."

"Good."

"I bought one of those little kits where you raise caterpillars into butterflies and then release them into the wild."

"…You're freaky."

"Says the boy whose home is littered with gigantic squeaky chew toys."

"Touché."

"Indeed."

"But I still want my money."

--

After another five minutes of bickering like an old married couple, Kiba and Shino finally seemed to realize that Hinata had not said a word for a while now. As soon as they discovered this, they shared a long glance and fell silent. Then, they heard the distinct sound of sniffles. They realized in sync that maybe this wasn't the time to be ignoring their emotional friend.

Hinata was in a loose fetal position against a tree, her chin resting on her knees. She wasn't exactly crying, just sniffling and wiping her eyes. She didn't seem to notice that her teammates were watching her. Her eyes were glassed over and foggy due to the tears she refused to shed, and they were trained on her thin, pale fingers, which were twisted just a few inches in front of her chin. Her unvoiced pain racked her body, making her shoulders tremble. She looked rather pitiful, but Kiba and Shino knew it wasn't any fault of her own.

The boys exchanged another look before walking slowly to either side of her. Kiba crouched down on his knees and put an arm around her shoulders, while Shino knelt on one knee and rubbed her back. She looked up only momentarily in shock at the contact, but after meeting each of her teammate's gazes for a short instant, she put her head back down.

"Hey, Hinata, baby-girl, there's no reason to cry. Shino and I aren't going to get a dude-vorce. It's alright. We're still bros. Don't fret." Kiba completely knew this wasn't what had her upset, but what else could he say? _Don't worry because the boy you love totally isn't going to die today—and don't ask how I know that for sure._ Yeah, that would go over well. She didn't need that kind of reassuring. No, she needed to laugh.

And she did, once. The laugh was short and hard, but it was genuine.

It was Shino's turn. "We know it's hard, but we'll get through this. I'll give Kiba his money. I was hoping I'd lose the bet, anyway."

"Yeah, he only bet against me because he knew I needed the money. It was charity. He knew I'd win." Kiba pulled his friend closer for a moment for a loose side-hug. He was pleased to hear her chuckle a little.

"You guys don't have to do this," she said quietly, picking up her head to give them each a small, grateful smile. "I know you're just trying to distract me."

"Hey, what else are we supposed to do? Sit around while you're killing yourself over Naruto? Out of the question. We have to do _something_," Shino argued, stroking her hair. "Kiba and I only want to make sure you're alright."

"Yeah. I mean, at least until that blockhead comes home. We've got to babysit your sanity for him, you know. You wouldn't want him to come home to see your pretty eyes all bloodshot and watery, would you?" Kiba raised his eyebrows, hoping that she'd see the reason in his canine eyes.

Hinata shrugged. "I guess not. H-he told me not to w-worry, so I g-guess…I should relax?"

"Yes, exactly." Kiba suddenly grinned and flew to his feet, whistling for Akamaru to come to his side. "C'mon, guys, let's do something fun. Something that'll do us all some good!"

"Like what?" Shino asked, looking up at his bro with a crooked eyebrow.

Kiba shrugged and bent down to grab Hinata's hand and pull her to her feet. Shino stood beside them and waited for his answer.

"Well, like, when was the last time we did something outrageously childish and unnecessary?" Kiba offered, quickly spreading his arms wide as if he was offended by the lack of aforementioned immaturity.

"No way in hel—" Shino began, but Kiba grabbed him by the arm and pulled him a few feet away so they could whisper in peace.

"Shino! C'mon! For Hinata."

They both glanced backwards towards their teammate, whose desolate eyes made both their spines go rigid.

Shino glared at Kiba from behind his dark glasses. "I refuse to do anything _too _immature…and definitely not anything that will get us in legal trouble or shame any of our clans. The Aburame family is a bit stricter than the Inuzuka about these things…"

Kiba scoffed. "So what do _you _suggest, Mr. Moral?"

There was a long pause, and then: "We could release fleas into—"

"No fleas. Never fleas."

Shino gave Kiba a hard look, annoyed at his inability to make peace with the itchy insect. "That was my only idea. Why don't we ask Hinata what she wants to do, since we're obviously so interested in her happiness?"

Kiba rolled his eyes and looked over at Hinata, who'd since wandered off to the small pond in the field, balancing awkwardly on the water's surface. Her eyes were trained on her feet, obviously unaware of or ignoring the fact that her teammates were talking about her. A small, hesitant smile was etched on her pale lips as her bare feet pattered across the liquid. She looked up when she felt Kiba's gaze, and waved.

"Yo, Hinata! Shino's useless, I'm bored, and you're the center of attention today, so what do you want to do?"

Hinata shrugged, trying to focus on keeping her feet from getting wet. "Well, Kurenai-sensei mentioned to me last time we visited her that she was getting lonely around the house. Maybe we could head there and keep her company."

Kiba's shoulders drooped. That wasn't outrageously childish _or_ unnecessary! What was Hinata playing at?

Shino saw the belittled expression on his friend's doggish face, and smiled secretly inside his own head. _You did ask what she wanted, _he thought mockingly, watching with satisfaction as Hinata scurried to the shore to replace her shoes. Kiba shook of the bad mood and loudly agreed to anything that would make Hinata happy, and the three set off.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

Something occurred to me as my team and I closed in on the Akatsuki—at least, we thought we were closing in, but we didn't really have any sure-fire way of knowing.

During all the mind-numbing nonsense going on with Sakura-chan and Hinata, my brother had been pushed...not to the _back _of my mind, but closer to the left of center. Not forgotten, just...pushed aside, momentarily. Certainly not on purpose. I was distracted, that's all!

But now, as red clouds fogged my vision, I remembered another reason why the Akatsuki was so important to the fabric of my being, other than the fact that they wanted me D-E-A-D.

Uchiha Itachi. The murderous older brother of and only connection I knew of—besides Orochimaru himself—to Sasuke, my own renegade best friend.

I knew that it was my duty to the Hokage—not to mention anyone else who might enjoy seeing me return, breathing, to Konoha—to kill this Akatsuki member. But I had another duty, one to my own heart, as well to Sakura-chan and even Kakashi-sensei. Before I killed this villain, I'd have to smush in as much of my interrogation skills as I could. Had the Uchiha had any contact with Sasuke, or Orochimaru? Had any of the Akatsuki?

It occurred to me that my adversary might not be too keen on giving me the information I sought, especially at the sight of bloodlust in my eyes, but I had to try something. I had to ask. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't?

I hoped that this Akatsuki member would be as generous as that Sasori had been in death. Sure, I wouldn't have the luxury of fighting alongside a family member of his, but maybe he'd be the sensitive type, another artist. That could happen, right?

--

Wrong.

Well, unless you could call wanting to steal my heart _sensitive._ It might've been, if he hadn't meant it in the most literal of terms.

It was with great pleasure that I dealt the blow that released Ino, Chouji, and Kakashi-sensei's hearts from the stringy black grasp of this chuckling, hungry villain's tentacles.

Steal my heart, eh? Yeah right. As if my heart belonged to me anymore, anyway. As if it was mine to be stolen. Tsk. It belonged to so many people, I doubted the villain would find anything to grab onto if he even _did _get those black tendrils into my chest.

"Pfft," he growled once he realized that my team and I were going to be his opponents from now on. "You're just a new set of hearts for me to rip out."

He wasn't wearing his cloak of bloody clouds, I noticed. Instead, it was just a sleeveless shirt and pants combo, both black. He had some sorts of masks littered around his skin, which was a little gross. Without the clouds, it took me a moment of looking upon his squirming, hungry body to remember his—albeit flimsy—connection to my brother.

My gaze darkened as I stood in front of my crowd of comrades. "I can handle him," I announced by way of dismissing the remainder of the back-up squad to assist Shikamaru, wherever _he_ was.

Sakura-chan gave me a determined look before setting off. "You can do it, Naruto," she told me, the sentence sounding more like a command than an encouragement.

My very-alive heart hammered with affection for the girl and her vote of confidence. At least she would be more or less safe from this heart-snatcher. I didn't even glance as she, Sai, and that pug jumped away into the trees.

I could hear Kakashi and Yamato behind me discussing my progress on the jutsu that would hopefully save my life today. I winced at their words, because it reminded me that I had lied to Hinata when I'd told her that I'd _mastered _this new upgrade on the rasengan. I didn't have it down perfectly. As much as I'd bragged to her to keep her in good spirits, I honestly just didn't have enough _time _to master the rasen-shuriken. I didn't like lying, but there was no way she was going to let me go off into the throngs of death with a half-complete jutsu, no matter how much I assured her that I'd be fine.

I felt the Kyuubi's power, unbidden, slink into my veins, mixing with my chakra, and I didn't complain. It was anger that made my heart pound at an animalistic speed. The anger was quick, and it was strong. From what I'd heard from Shikamaru's description, this was not the Jashin-freak who'd stolen a bit of my comrades' communal innocence by killing a teacher, but it was bad enough that he was even _affiliated _with him. Worse, affiliated with the man who'd ruined Sasuke's life. Hatred danced with my blood as the battle began.

* * *

Hinata was fussing over the flowers at the window sill, which would have gone completely neglected if Kurenai were left to her own devices. Asuma had given her the seeds to those flowers during one of his more lovesick moments, and though Kurenai refused to acknowledge their existence anymore, Team Eight refused to let them wilt.

Kiba and Shino were washing their sensei's dishes in the kitchen, separated from the sitting room only by an island counter. Kurenai would have been ashamed of her helpless behavior if it had been anyone else who'd died...a parent or a sibling, maybe...But, as it was, she sat nearly lifelessly on the sofa in the front room, sewing up tears and rips in her team's mission-clothes in exchange for their kindness, with Akamaru's head resting consolingly on her feet. The four humans spoke amongst themselves, each quite sensitive to the other's issues, none wanting any of the others to feel too upset at any moment. As such, they kept the conversation light.

It wasn't until Kurenai made the mistake of thanking the chunins for their trouble that the atmosphere got a little heavy.

Kiba threw a furtive glance at Hinata's back as she spread a litter fertilizer around the flowers' delicate roots, and then shrugged at his sensei from across the two rooms. "It's no trouble at all, sensei. We didn't' have any missions anyway, and besides, Hinata needed something to get her mind off of—" Realizing that Hinata's shoulders had instantaneously stiffened at his slip in levity, Kiba shut his trap and shrugged again, hoping Kurenai got the hint. Hinata had been laughing only minutes earlier, and he _really _didn't want to be the reason she got all weepy again.

Kurenai, however, was a little too far gone within her own storm-cloud to notice the one looming over her only female student's head.

"Hinata?"

The girl's shoulders were visibly tight for a good ten seconds; Kiba and Shino both momentarily forgot their chores to lean over and watch out for the telltale signs of stifled tears. But, surprisingly, her body quickly shook itself, starting at the shoulders and rolling down to her ankles. Then, she twisted her upper body so she could show a wide smile to those who watched her.

"N-Naruto-kun is on a pretty important mission, that's all." Her smile was gentle and indulgent, a little embarrassed, even. She spoke with the air of a thirteen-year-old who'd just been caught holding onto and staring at her cell-phone in anticipation of a call from her crush. She also made sure to speak vaguely enough that she was not forced to explain to her teacher exactly _what _Naruto's mission was. "I guess I just wish I could be there with him and help out. N-nervous."

Kurenai gave Hinata a sideways smile and looked to the second cushion on her couch, which was usually occupied by a certain Nara genius. The two spoke frequently of late, exchanging stories of their common lost one. But he was not here today, which really shouldn't have seemed as odd as it did to her. She was lucky that her team was so attentive…

Hinata kept talking. "But I'm happy to be here. It really wouldn't help anyone if I sat around and moped." She stepped a few feet away from the window sill to show that the flowers were all standing proud and erect, shining more vibrantly than ever before.

Kurenai's heart lurched uncomfortably and she had to look away from the healthy flora. Suddenly, a vision of Hinata's first Chunin Exam came in front of the Yuhi's scarlet eyes—the young Hyuuga holding out a humble canister of medicated cream to a clueless blonde with whiskers. Kurenai had recognized and encouraged Hinata's feelings that day, and now she said a silent prayer for the Uzumaki child. Hopefully the flowers' vibrancy now meant that Naruto's battle—whatever it was—was going well.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

In all honesty, fear for Naruto-kun's life was still eating away at me…but somehow, it felt no worse than fear for my own self-preservation. It was a fear I could now deal with, a fear I could wrestle into submission. I'd made a promise to not make myself miserable, and I was going to keep it, dammit.

Besides, I couldn't always be the baby of my team. As much as I appreciate my teammates' obvious concern for me, I would _not _go comatose on my sofa out of _fear._ I had no excuse to by crying and going on about how worried I was or how devastated I would be if disaster struck my love, too. Kurenai-sensei was enough evidence that I had nothing to complain about.

Sure, my mind was on Naruto-kun for a large part of the day, but I found that as long as my hands were busy, despair could not find its way into my heart. (It stayed centered around my gallbladder, instead.)

If anything, I discovered that I was quite well-off. I was in love with a boy who was strong and brave and selfless, even if he was a bit reckless. I was in love with a boy who took responsibility for and carried things that should never have been placed upon his shoulders. I was in love with a boy who was willing the battle the monsters in his closet, as well as his neighbor's closet, his brother's closet, and strangers' closets.

And, by some miracle, I was in love with a boy who seemed to enjoy my company, enjoyed kissing me when it seemed like I needed a kiss, whether on the hand, or the forehead, or the lips. I was in love with a boy who didn't want me to be worried sick about him, who promised to come home _breathing._ I was in love with a boy who kept his promises and never gave up.

I was pretty well-off.

So why mope?

Maybe I _did _have to stop doing whatever it was that I was doing every couple of hours or so to pray for his safety, but that was really more for encouragement than lack of faith in him. Instead of worrying, I looked forward to his return…I remembered how he'd said he'd _'get me back_ _for that kiss'_, and blushed profusely.

If I stayed positive, his return promised to be outrageously pleasant.


	17. It All Comes Together

Sakura saw Naruto staring at his right arm a lot on the trip home. She'd braced it as well as she could with the menial supplies she'd had, but she was sure he was still in a lot of pain.

From what she heard from Ino-pig, Naruto's new jutsu was amazing, but it took up too much energy, especially when it didn't hit. Sure, once it _did _hit, it nearly killed the enemy at once, but at what cost?

From what she could tell from examining Naruto, the inside of his arm was pretty much shredded. But, as most of the damage was to his chakra network and not to the tissues of his actual _arm_, there was little Sakura could do to heal him. He'd need to be taken to the hospital for some x-rays and examinations from more highly trained medics.

Naruto was not pleased with this outcome, but there was little he could do other than stare daggers at his injured arm.

The night before they returned to Konoha, the two teammates ended up alone around the fire. Sakura was writing in a journal Lee had given her for her last birthday, mainly about how much she missed the aforementioned green-beast and how she was going to pounce him the second Naruto was well enough to leave the hospital. Naruto, on the other hand, was just staring at his arm with an odd expression on his face…a little bit of frustration, but also…amusement? She peeked at his self-conscious smirk.

Naruto seemed to notice her preoccupation with _his _preoccupation, so he looked up to turn his smirk to her. "Hey, Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaaan," he growled playfully. "What's up with you?"

Sakura looked at his arm for a moment and cringed—her makeshift brace consisted of little more than two planks of loose wood on either side of his forearm, held together by half a roll of bandages. She hadn't anticipated that someone would suffer _this _kind of wound…

"Sorry about your arm," she said lamely, avoiding his eyes by looking down to doodle hearts around Lee's name everywhere she'd written it.

She was surprised by the sound of laughter, though it did sound a little embarrassed. She looked up again to see him scratching the back of his neck with his good arm.

"Yeah, it _is _a little disappointing…do you think this counts as _getting hurt?_ I mean, technically I did it to myself…" There it was again, that frustrated-and-yet-somehow-amused expression—as if someone was telling a rude joke about him, but he felt he had to laugh anyway since it was all true.

Sakura remembered how much he'd groaned as she tried to wrap his arm, and had no other choice than to nod gravely. "Well, you _will _have to get checked into the hospital tomorrow," she replied, shrugging apologetically. "So, yeah, I _would _call it hurt…why?"

He laughed shakily again, then winced when the movement jostled his arm, making it sting. "Oh, no reason…except I kinda told Hinata that I wasn't gonna get hurt." Another ashamed chuckle.

Sakura snorted. "Why'd you go and promise at thing like that?"

"She…seemed a _little _nervous about me going on this mission," he answered dryly, and Sakura had the distinct feeling that she was being left out of the joke. "Something tells me she'd rather I not have to deal with this whole Akatsuki problem."

Sakura's mind drifted back to when she'd told Lee about this mission—he'd been seconds away from declaring that he'd do one-fingered pushups the entire time she was gone, just to keep his mind off the danger—and instantly understood how Naruto was feeling.

"She cares about you a lot, doesn't she?" Sakura probed.

His expression turned solemn for an instant, but almost dissolved into a fond smile. "Yeah, I think she does," he replied, sounding as if he could barely believe it himself. He seemed to mull over something for a second before speaking again. "It's…kind of funny."

Sakura flinched. What a cruel thing to say! "Funny? Funny how?"

His eyes widened as he realized how that might have sounded a little callous. "Ach! No, no, not _ha-ha-ha _funny! Just…it took me such a long time to…I dunno…_see _that she cared about me. Y'know?"

She nodded, shrugging. It _was _a little funny, if she thought about it. She'd encountered several loves in her lifetime, none of which had been particularly subtle. Whether it was Lee or Naruto's affection for her, or even her own love for Sasuke, they'd all been put on the table for the world to see early on.

Hinata, however, had hidden her feelings from their object for years…despite the fact that everyone else had no trouble discovering the love. It _was _a little funny, but only because it helped prove that Naruto was denser than nearly everyone else in Konoha.

"But…erm, how do _you _feel, Naruto?" She was a little nervous to ask, since she'd caught him looking at her with confusion several times this mission—was he still not sure about how he felt about the two girls in his life? The idea worried her. They were just recently getting comfortable with each other again after the long separation and subsequent awkwardness.

Obviously oblivious to his teammates qualms, his content expression remained, and his gaze hovered somewhere around his feet. "I haven't told you yet, have I, Sakura-chan? Hinata…" He outright giggled, thoroughly pleased with himself. "She kissed me. And damn if it wasn't the best kiss I've ever had…no offense."

They both laughed then. "None taken, _seriously," _Sakura promised, waving her hand dismissively. "It's not like you have a lot of basis for comparison. But, uh…what did you do afterwards?" she prodded carefully.

He suddenly looked sheepish and ran his good hand through his messy hair, brushing a twig out as it went by. "Uhh…I went to the Village Gates?" Was that the right answer?

"That's it? You didn't…_say _anything?"

He blanched. "Well, she asked if I wanted her to walk me to the Gates, but I said she didn't need to…then we said goodbye."

_Well, __**that's**__ exciting, _Sakura thought blandly, giving Naruto a blank stare. "And _that's _it? Huh. Lee-kun and I exchanged love confessions when _we _kissed for the first time." She shrugged in a '_that's-okay-though-because-it's-your-business-not-mine-and-I'm-trying-really-hard-not-to-be-nosy' _kind of way and averted her gaze to an owl in the trees to her right.

Naruto rolled his eyes, ignoring the butterflies that flared up in his stomach at the thought of love confessions. "Well. Well, we can't all have perfect, romance-novel slash fairytale endings."

They exchanged a long death glare before laughing again.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

I blocked a swarm of bugs with a swift swipe of kunai, and then fell into a crouch to slap my palm hard against the weak spot in Shino's left kneecap. I didn't usually like taking advantage of my knowledge of his weaknesses, but he had told me especially today that he didn't want me to hold back.

Still, it was distracting and disconcerting to watch his left leg crumple slightly before he shifted all his weight onto his right side, irritably jamming his hands into his pockets. Then, surprisingly, he used the dead weight of his left leg to slam into my ribs. I yelped at the contact; Shino was usually much more comfortable with sending his bugs out to distract the enemy when he got hurt. Taijutsu was not a particular forte of his.

Gritting my teeth, I ignored the pain in my sides and took a quick step away from Shino—with nothing to brace itself against after a little less than a second of contact, his leg kept swinging until he was forced to slam it back on the ground. His knee trembled, but that was the only point of weakness I could see in his all-around angry stance. An unbidden smirk slid across my face—sparring Shino was far different than sparring with Kiba. Shino's style was cool and collected and favored long-distance moves, staying in the shadows while he manipulated his opponent's fears and disgusts with the well-trained pests he wielded. I supposed it was annoying to only have Kiba and I—pure-close-rangers—to train with. But at the same time, I knew he preferred challenges to having victories handed to him.

Still, he was a boy, and boys liked to win. I could tell by his posture that he was absolutely mortified that I'd closed the chakra point in his knee—I would have to make sure I was more than apologetic when I opened it up again, if his bugs didn't do it for me first. I was breathing rather hard by now, the seventh minute of this grueling spar, and I honestly hoped that I'd be able to soon. I was _tired_.

I still felt bad about acting like such a baby about Naruto-kun leaving, so this quality time with Shino and Kiba (who was sitting in a tree branch, watching and shouting down playful mockery to the two of us) was not without its comforting advantages. My friends had their ways of consoling me without mentioning that they were consoling me, and those consolations often included sparring until we were all purple in the face and half-conscious on the forest floor.

It had been this way for a long time. After maybe a month of being on Team 8, we were comfortable with each other to talk about things that hurt us, and a month after that, we were sparring the pain away. We sparred after talking about how Kiba's father had left, sparred whenever Neji-nii or my father said anything particularly hurtful to me, sparred after Shino's mother and father started sleeping in separate apartments in the Aburame complex…sparred after Naruto-kun had kissed Sakura-san…sparred after Asuma-sensei had died…

It was very relaxing, regardless of the situation. It pumped much-needed adrenaline and endorphins through our systems.

But when I caught sight of the bug-clone (at least I assumed it was a bug-clone, but I'd missed when he'd formed it) or Uzumaki Naruto that stood several feet behind Shino's flank, the hormone that coursed through my veins certainly wasn't _adrenaline._

I fought past the redness in my cheeks to rush at Shino with glowing white palms. I knew he had a tendency to fight dirty if the urge came to him, and making us some Naruto doppelganger to distract me did seem pretty dirty…especially since the Naruto's face was twisted into a playful, and yet somehow longing smile.

Shino easily side-stepped out of the way before I could inflict any damage to the organ-less tissue of the right side of his chest-cavity. In order to ensure I didn't waste any of the momentum I'd built up, I whirled in my high heels to kick the back of his kneecap before his bugs could completely heal the closed chakra.

But before I could get at him, a massive swarm flew directly at my face, full-speed and full-force. The combination of the impact and shock of the attack knocked me over, flat on my back. That was it. I was the first one down, so I'd lost.

I kept my eyes closed for a minutes, listening to the sound of insects returning into Shino's veins, and the wind.

I imagined that Shino-kun had dispelled the bug-clone since it obviously hadn't done much to derail my train of thought. But, in a wistful sort of way, I thought it would have been nice to just _see _Naruto-kun while he was gone. Feeling a vague sort of disappointment, I opened my eyes as my head lolled about on the ground, looking furtively over to where the Naruto-clone…_still was._

I _eek_ed and scrambled to sit up straight. There he was! He was looking right at me, too, his eyes burning. I blushed, quickly looking him up and down. His headband was missing, leaving his hair looking long and disheveled. I even thought I saw a few twigs and leaves sticking out from the thick yellow spikes. His jacket was wide open, revealing his dark undershirt—which was torn in several places and specked with dirt—and his sparkling necklace. Despite, or maybe because of, all this, he looked…oddly good for someone who'd just come home from an especially trying mission.

It hit me like a slap in the face when I realized that he really was there in front of me, and I was just gaping at him like a fish out of water.

I grinned and flew to my feet, squeaking out his name. He laughed and splayed his arms open as I ran towards him. When I reached him, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me so close that I thought it was only a matter of time until I became a physical part of him, a welcome tumor of sorts.

I thought I might have heard Kiba yelling some kind of mockery behind me, but I was much too distacted by the feel of Naruto-kun's arms and the sound of his heartbeat to care.

* * *

Sakura rubbed the last bit of healing ointment on Naruto's arm, giving him the occasional reprimand when he squirmed. For a guy who was in the hospital more often than all the other members of the Konoha 11 combined, he was a terrible patient.

"Geez, Naruto, would it kill you to sit still? Why are you so anxious? Does this sting?"

Naruto smirked, giving her a half-sheepish, half-defensive look. "My arm _hurts, _remember?"

Sakura blinked, her grip on his wrist loosening infinitesimally. "Really? It should be numb by now…" When his expression became more sheepish than defensive, her eyes narrowed and turned towards the screen next to his heart monitor, the one that monitored his chakra usage.

"Naruto…why does this monitor say that you're extending a hefty amount of chakra…?"

He laughed then, blatantly avoiding her eyes. "Dunno. A glitch, probably. Now, less talky, more bandage-y. Please."

"_Okay,_ but I should warn you that using that much chakra will only make this _sting._" She smiled warmly and sang the final word. She didn't particularly _try _to wrap the bandages too tightly around his arm, but she didn't try very hard not to, either. She was a little bit of a sadist, especially around Naruto.

"So," she said after about five minutes of silence, "_is _there a particular reason you're using so much chakra? Are you stressed and doing unconsciously? You don't have to stress—I'm not _trying _to hurt you, and I'm sure it'll heal just fine if—"

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, that's not it." He laughed. "I'm just doing something really childish, and I gotta get outta this hospital soon before it blows up in my face."

Sakura just stared at him, slightly dumbfounded. "I don't know what goes on in your head sometimes. I haven't got the slightest idea."

* * *

**Hinata POV**

Naruto-kun spoke over my head as he addressed my teammates, his right hand going to his hip as his left arm continued to act as an iron garter around my waist. "Hey guys! I'm gonna steal Hinata for a few minutes. Or maybe more than just a few. I dunno. Don't wait up."

I peeked backwards to gauge my friends' reactions. At first I was worried that they might think Naruto-kun was being rude—because, let's face it, he kind of was—but my fear were easily dispelled once I realized that Kiba-kun was laughing his butt of in that tree of his, and Shino-kun was too busy testing out his left leg to care.

I didn't even get a chance to yell goodbye before Naruto dragged me by the hand into the forest. I made an odd little noise, some sort of giggle/yelp hybrid, and followed eagerly. Part of my mind thought he was acting a little bit out of character, but then, maybe it was just leftover adrenaline from his probably death-defying mission.

But I remembered something like this happening before—identity mix-ups that led to all-out chaos. Not that I didn't trust Naruto-kun or anything, but…

"Byakugan," I murmured so low under my breath that I barely heard myself. Suddenly, everything seemed to be just a silhouette, but Naruto glowed blue in front of me. At first, everything looked sound, and it was definitely Naruto-kun's chakra, but it looked as if there was only half the regular amount swirling around in his veins, and even then it was mainly concentrated to the area inside of and just below his skin. The discovery just screamed '_shadow clone.' _

I smiled grimly and bit my lip. Why on Earth did Naruto-kun send a shadow clone to look after me? Was he busy and just wanted to try tricking me for a while? Did he think I wouldn't notice? Or did he miss me enough that he was trying to contact me while he was still on his mission? Or was he in danger and this was the '_I-need-backup' _kind of contacting?!

I calmed down in an instant. Naruto-kun wasn't stupid. If he needed help, he'd go to a higher-up, not someone who could get in trouble for leaving without authorization. No, this was probably a social call. Strange as that was, it was oddly flattering, but it also worried me. I hoped he wasn't wasting chakra on me when he could be using it on an enemy or something important like that. But, again, I had to remind myself that he wasn't stupid enough to pull a stunt like that…but then, _why…?_

The clone distracted me from my frantic thoughts by using my captured hand to sling me around so I faced him. He clasped that hand in both of his—he slightly favored his right arm, I noticed distractedly—and smiled warmly, showing all his bright teeth. The tight warmth of the clone's hands surprised me—I remembered hearing Neji-nii-san rave about how shadow clones '_weren't just illusions; they were solid clones!' _but I'd never registered how true that fact was before. If I hadn't checked his chakra, I surely would have been fooled.

"Hey, Hinata," he chirped, pulling me again out of my reverie. "Miss me?"

I nodded mutely—what does one say to a clone, exactly?

"Missed you, too," he replied to my nod, his eyes growing playful and predatory at the same time, like how a puppy might look at a cat. "As you can see, I'm breathing. Kept my promise."

"I can see that," I purred, blushing lightly as I moved my free hand to touch his chest. His pulse pounded under my palm; his breath was low and husky, but definitely evident. The satire of intimacy made my knees weak.

The clone seemed to be as human as anything—really just a copy of Naruto-kun standing in front of me. He looked a little wilder, thought, and he shivered at my touch. He moved his hands to nudge me backwards until a wide tree pressed into my back. He kept his left hand entwined with mine—his other hand rested beside my head. Despite the fact that I knew this wasn't real, my body reacted to his close proximity and the yearning in his eyes. My hand fisted in his shirt, which felt so corporal, and my face started to burn. I could feel the heat of him, so close, his face was close, we were close, and he was going to kiss me, this man, this clone, this _thing _was going to kiss me—

I didn't want a fake kiss. I turned my face away and moved our intertwined fingers so that one of his could reach my lips. I kissed his fingertip softly, tenderly, but the gesture felt hollow, and he smiled wryly as if he felt it, too. I looked at him with hooded eyes, and my heart swelled at the unhidden tenderness in his eyes.

"Naruto-kun…" I whispered as he moved his face closer to mine again. "Naruto-kun…would you mind t-telling me why y-you have the chakra network of a sh-shadow clone?" My voice was honey-sweet, and it contrasted jarringly to how quickly hi face fell at the sound of it. You'd have thought that I'd just told him that I, too, was in love with Rock Lee. I laughed nervously at the absolute disappointment he radiated, and he couldn't help but give me an embarrassed, crooked grin.

"Aw, you caught me. When'd you figure it out?"

I laughed again, so hard that I had to lean against him to stay upright. "About five minutes after I hugged you. There isn't really enough chakra in you to be convincing…That, and y-you were acting k-kind of…_strange._ "

He immediately wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me close again, so close that I couldn't help but notice the clone's distinct lack of scent, while the real Naruto usually smelled of deodorant, ramen, and soil. The clone buried his face in my hair, breathing deeply, enjoying the fact that I _did _smell, and I marveled once more at how solid he felt.

"You're really smart," he murmured. "I got sloppy on the inside," he explained quietly, "because I was too busy strengthening the outside. If this body of mine were balanced, I would have exploded as soon as you glomped me. You rammed into me pretty hard."

"I—I was excited," I defended myself lamely. "But, N-Naruto-kun…why the clone at all? Is something wrong with your real body? Are you—is it—in danger? Hurt?" Trying to trick me? Screwing around with my emotions? Too busy to come and whisk me away into the forest himself?

He pushed me back a little by my shoulders, holding me far enough away that I could see his face.

"Geez, Hinata, don't get scared or anything. I'm in Konoha and everything—I just had to get some things done. The Boss sent me to check on you and keep you company until he could come on his own. He—I—we…really missed you."

"Did the battle go okay? Where _is _your real body—the Boss?"

"Yeah, it went fine…pretty much. And the Boss…is…um…"

"Tell me, please."

He paused, grinning a tight grin as if only to appease me. "…in the hospital."

"_What?! _Is he—are you—alright?! You shouldn't be wasting chakra on me if you're hurt, Naruto-kun! You need that to heal! I can wait. You—he—_ugh!_ _Should be resting!"_ My face was hot again, but not because of his proximity or warm eyes or anything silly like that, hot with anger. A small part of me wanted to wring the clone's neck, just so it would dispel and bring its chakra back to the real Naruto-kun. I didn't do that, but it seemed like a viable option.

"Ach! No, no, I'm fine, really! My arm—it got a little messed up, but it's getting put in a cast, like, as we speak!" He pointed to his right arm, which kind of just dangled uselessly by his side, and then looked genuinely apologetic, complete with the standard hand on the back of his neck. "I only lied because I—I just didn't want you to worry or anything."

"Oh…Oh, Naruto-kun. Th-that was sweet of you…" I paused and started to twiddle my fingers anxiously. "But, I, erm…wasn't worried, much."

He looked as if I'd just jumped into a tutu and started spouting out pop-songs with the voice of an opera singer. "…Really? Why not?" He almost sounded disappointed.

_Because you told me not to,_ I thought, feeling vaguely creepy. "Because I believed in you, l-like I said before you left." I shrugged. "While you were gone, I just decided it wasn't, erm, worth it…Not that _you _aren't worth it! I mean, erm—"

"That it wouldn't do _me _any good to worry? I think that's pretty much what I told you right before I left." He hadn't missed that point, despite my dodging. I blushed.

"Yeah, I know…" I avoided his gaze, feeling silly.

There was a long pause, and then the clone, his voice thick with emotion, said, "You…really like me, don't you?"

"_What?" _The word was a barely-coherent squeak.

He showed his palms, a defensive gesture. "I know it seems like a really random question, but…it just seems like you do a lot of things because you want to make me happy…y'know? I never noticed before, but…I think I've gotten more observant recently."

He could say that again! I twiddled my fingers and couldn't look him in the eye—my gaze hovered around the little white swirl on his sleeve. "Naruto-kun, I…I don't really want to have this c-conversation…" I paused, and finally met his gaze. He looked absolutely heartbroken, as if I'd told him that, not only was I in love with Rock Lee, but I was also going to join the Akatsuki, I didn't think he'd ever become Hokage, and that orange made him look fat. "With a clone!" I finished hastily, trying to make amends for the miniature panic attack I'd given him.

His recovery was instantaneous. He laughed uproariously, throwing his head back, a full belly-laugh. "Crap, I forgot I was a shadow clone for a minute there! _Totally _got caught up in the moment!" He wiped a giggle-tear out of his eye. "The Boss'll get a kick out of that once I explode." His attention finally came back to me, and he tried his best to speak without giggling anymore. "Don't worry"—snort—"Hinata, I complete understand. Just come talk to the Boss at the hospital or something, okay? I really should be going. One thing first."

He was talking so quickly that I didn't even have time to _guess _what the one thing was before he showed me himself.

He cupped the back of my head in his oddly-solid left hand and gave me a hasty, chaste kiss, right on my mouth, pulling away only seconds later to grin and wink. "That was me getting back at you for stealing our first kiss. Do you feel sufficiently gotten back at?"

I felt many thing at that point, the least of which gotten back at, but, proving him right, I wanted to indulge him, so I nodded mutely, my lips tightly together. I hoped he wouldn't make too big a deal out of my red face when he reported back to his 'Boss.'

"Awesome!" He reached out to ruffle my hair a little, and then finally exploded into a puff of white smoke with that familiar, loud _BANG._

I coughed and waved the smoke out of my face, trying to ignore the fact that all the warmth the clone's body had provided had disappeared as quickly as his body itself. Still coughing, I tried to remember which way my training field was and started trekking through the forest.

When I finally got back, Kiba-kun was getting the same swarm attack that had knocked me down. (Shino-kun's leg was obviously fine.) I smiled knowingly down at Kiba-kun while he just gave me a bewildered, wide-eyed glance from the ground.

"Uh, Hinata…what happened to Naruto?"

I smiled blithely and tried my very best not to laugh as I replied, "He exploded, and now I have to go visit him in the hospital."

And then, for the second time that day, the only thing I could hear as I walked away was Kiba-kun's raucous laughter.

**

* * *

**

Naruto POV

I shivered at the information and memories my dispelled clone had given me. Sakura-chan, who was filling out some paperwork by my bedside, jumped about three feet in the air as my heart-monitor sped up and my chakra-usage-monitor nearly flat-lined. I laughed a bit mockingly at her panicked expression, and then she just scowled.

"_Not funny, _Naruto," she admonished sternly. "You're really gonna give me a heart attack one of these days. Are you done messing around?"

I shrugged, giving her a lazy, sideways smile. "For now," I replied, just to bug her.

She just rolled her eyes, though, and said ever-so-nonchalantly, "Okay, well, I'm done here, but we're recommending that you stay the night. So _stay put._"

"You don't have to worry about that, Sakura-chan." I put my good hand behind my head and did my best to melt into the less-than-comfortable bed. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good. We've got security cameras here now, so don't think—"

"Aw, go make out with Bushy-Brow!"

She leered at me and tossed the pen from her chart at my head. "Don't think I _won't!" _

And we were both laughing as she left.

_I'm really glad we're friends_, I thought randomly once she was gone. I couldn't imagine being able to talk to her like that if we were _involved_. She had too big a tendency to hit me when she was offended, and I'm sure that would have only been multiplied if she expected me to be some kind of sensitive boyfriend. I might not survive to a six-month anniversary, unlike Bushy-Brow, who'd probably die before being as big of a smartass to her as I was.

Whereas, Hinata seemed to enjoy being teased, just because I was paying attention to her. She'd probably die before hitting me as hard as Sakura liked to.

I could practically feel my heart grow warmer at the thought of Hinata. I mulled over the memories my clone had given me, dwelled on her strong, self-confident smile as she called my clone out. She'd…looked kinda sexy, as she pretended to be all innocent and sweet.

But then…she'd looked so scared when the clone had asked if she liked me. I mean, I _knew _I wasn't alone in how I felt. I knew '_like'_ was too weak a word, even. But why did she have to be so shy, despite all that?

Maybe it wasn't _despite_, though…but _because of_. That thought made me smile. After all, she didn't go all red-faced around anyone else, at least not that I'd noticed. It was a little flattering—her shyness was how she'd been showing her affection for years.

_I hope she's never shy around anyone else ever again,_ I thought erratically, and let my mind wander once again over my clone's pseudo-memories.

I was mulling over the kiss I'd stolen for about the seventh time when a quiet knock on the door broke through my reverie. I sat up straight that second and yelled "Come in!" the very next.

I could have died a happy man when Hinata walked in, clutching a vase full of mixed flowers.

When she saw me, she very nearly started to glow. Her moonlike eyes melted into lavender pools, and her pale face split into a wide grin. I was sure my expression mirrored hers.

"You really are home," she whispered reverently, just before half-running to my side. Blushing deeply, she set the flowers on the table beside my bed, and then leaned down and pecked me on the forehead, laughing awkwardly when she straightened up. "Sorry. I just really missed you."

She didn't need to be embarrassed. I decided I liked it when she missed me. "Don't worry about it," I assured her. "I missed you, too."

Her eyes narrowed and her smile turned into an indulgent smirk. "I think your clone sad something about you missing me…"

Ah, quite to the point. I fidgeted a little on the hard bed before laughing uncomfortably. "Yeah, uh…you're not mad about that, are you?"

She shook her head and touched my cast with two delicate fingertips, obviously careful not to hurt me. "No, I'm n-not. It was k-kind of a silly thing to do, but at least I got to—" She broke off suddenly and cleared her throat, her face going an even deeper shade of red. "See you," she finished, avoiding looking at me by looking around for a chair.

"Bet the kiss wasn't too bad, either," I clarified for her as she pulled the small, tacky armchair to my bedside.

Surprisingly, she didn't start to stammer—rather, she snorted indelicately and avoided my gaze. "_That_ was just embarrassing. I didn't expect it."

"I told you I would get you back. What _did _you expect?"

You'd think her body wouldn't have enough spare blood to give to her blush, but her face grew redder still. "Nothing, N-Naruto-kun." She grinned uneasily, trying in vain to convince me.

_Jeez, _I thought sarcastically, _is __**everyone**__ I know perverted?_

She swiftly changed the subject before I could reply and pointed to my injured arm. "So, N-Naruto-kun…what exactly happened that was so bad they put you in the hospital?" She flinched at the last word. Her eyes widened meaningfully, and I saw her genuine concern.

I sighed and began to explain my new jutsu and the strains it put on my body in a businesslike manner. She had a preoccupied, concentrated air about her when she asked me to describe the sort of pain I endured. I told her about her the searing flames inside of my veins like one might describe a mild case of indigestion—quickly, curtly, almost embarrassed to admit I had it at all. Her eyes tightened the first time I mentioned that it was my chakra network that had been damaged, and the uncomfortable look remained throughout the conversation—her gaze remained fixed on my arm.

"Does it hurt right now?" she asked wearily, her pale eyes tracing the contours of my forearm. She was obviously not using her Byakugan, but I thought maybe she wanted to and was just respecting my privacy at the moment.

"It's pretty numb, actually, but that's just because I'm not using any chakra right now…_and _I'm also so hopped up on pain meds that I'm not completely convinced that you aren't just a hallucination. Sakura says that it'll sting until it's completely healed, and who knows how long _that_ will take. What sucks about healing fast is that it's unpredictable." I rolled my eyes and laughed once, but it sounded all wrong and fell flat, so I resumed my solemn tone. "Do you…want to look at it?" I could see her eyes still boring holes into my cast.

She shook her head quickly, and squeezed her eyes shut. When she spoke again, her voice was low and tremulous. "No, I don't w—_need _to see the damage. It'd just make me feel bad th-that I couldn't d-do anything about it." Her eyes were now in her lap, and her bangs threw shadows over the entire top half of her face. Her lips barely moved. "I…I think I really hate these Akatsuki people." She gave a harsh, hard laugh that would have given her usual giggle nightmares. "And I've never even met one."

She looked up and finally met my gaze. "I've never really hated anyone before, but now…all I'd really like to do is h-help you d-destroy them."

Her gaze was way too strong, too fierce. I grinned nervously and scooted a little to the right on my bed, leaving just enough room for another occupant. "Come here," I said, laughing slightly and beckoning with my good hand.

She turned back into her regular, shy self in an instant. "G-get into th-the bed with y-you? B-but, N-Naruto, what if someone walked in?"

I shrugged. "Then let them walk in. I wouldn't be embarrassed."

She blanched. "I would be. I think I'd f-faint."

I made the beckoning gesture again, my eyes pleading. "C'mon, Hinata. I can barely reach you from here." To prove my point, I reached my arm out across the bed. My fingertips barely grazed her shoulder. Her face glowed red, but nevertheless, she nodded and looked around to make sure the coast was clear, and then she slowly clambered up onto the bed with me, moving carefully so as not to jostle and subsequently hurt me.

When she was securely beside me, out legs stretched out comfortably beside each other, I snaked my good arm between the stiff pillow and her back and squeezed her shoulder, grinning sincerely now.

Her worried pout slowly dissolved into a shy smile as she slid down to nestle her head in the crook of my arm, somehow succeeding in making _me _blush a little.

"By the way," I said hesitantly, not _really _wanting to put her back in a bad mood, "where did the whole 'wanting to help destroy the Akatsuki with me' thing come from? Last time we talked about 'em, it kinda seemed like, erm, like they were your worst nightmare or something." In retrospect, that was kind of an indelicate thing to say at that point, but I was curious.

She laughed sincerely this time and slid a little further down, bending her knees upward a bit, her head by my ribs. "Th-that's because we were talking about y_-you _fighting—" She broke off again, and I felt her tense up by my side. I squeezed her shoulder to try to make her comfortable again, but she didn't relax.

I understood what she meant, but it still didn't make any sense to me. "What…? What do you mean? What difference does it make, if I'm fighting them, or if you are?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she half-rolled onto her side, her head now resting on my bicep. She just looked at me for a second, then sighed and stared off into space. "N-Naruto-kun…I…I'm much less afraid of l-losing my own l-life than I am of…losing you."

_That _comment surprised me. I jumped slightly in the bed, rattling her enough that she picked her head up and looked at me again.

"_What?_" My voice was sharp with shock, and she winced. I tried very deliberately to soften my tone when I asked, "W…why?"

Again, she just stared at me for the longest time before replying. Her gaze seemed to sear into my own eyes as she contemplated her answer, staring at me as if I was the only thing left in the world worth looking at.

Finally, she smiled serenely and answered. "Because I love you."

And that was all the answer I could ever need. I used my good arm to drag her closer to me, until our mouths fused. It was a real kiss, and a long one. No time limits this time, and definitely no teasing. This kiss was all too serious, full of so much emotion that I felt I may as well have been confessing right back to her. I hoped she got my message, because there was no way I could have spoken at that moment—the warmth in my heart overflowed in my chest and flooded through me, filling my lungs and drowning my brain. Even if I could have come up with a coherent thought at that point, I would have been too afraid of flooding the entire room from my chest to open my mouth and voice the thought.

Besides, what did I need to talk for? I was kissing a girl who loved me! Holy crap, she loved me! And not just friend love, either—no, love like she was a real bonafied _girl! _Like _I'd-die-for-you _love!

God, it was good to have someone feel that way about me! To…to _love_ me!

I somehow managed to pull her closer, and she did not object in the least. She made fists in my itchy teal hospital shirt and whimpered delicately. The whimper sounded like yet another confession to my love-addled mind, and I laughed, hoping that she could understand what I meant:

_Damn it, Hinata, I love you, too, and even if you __**are **__more worried about me than yourself, don't you __**dare **__do anything that might take yourself away from me. __**Ever. **__I love you, I love you, I love you._

**_(A/N)_**

**_So. I've been gone for a while, but that seems to happen a lot, so I hope you'll forgive me, as always._**

**_There should only be one or two chapters after this one. (And this one SHOULD be two chapters, it's long enough, but whatev.)_**

**_Hope you all like this one! I worked really, really hard. T.T_**

**_Much love,  
Miyazaki-A2_**

* * *


	18. Anything For You

**(A/N #1) Just a warning, there are some spoilers here for more recent chapters (like 437), even though I don't hold completely true to all the details. Though, just saying, what's going on with make a lot more sense if you're up-to-date with the manga. **

fNaruto POV

Time skips…no, that wasn't right. Time passes…no, too vague. What was the phrase? Time runs? No…

A bird flew above our heads, and I smiled.

Yeah, that's right. Time flies…

Time flies when you're hopelessly in love with a wonderful girl who's hopelessly in love with you. Time flies when every day is filled with smiles and flowers and heart-shaped things and laughter.

Except for the days that suck. But even then, time flies when you have each other.

Time also flies when you're not particularly looking forward to something.

Orochimaru was dead. Uchiha Itachi was dead. Uchiha Sasuke was still on the lam…and Jiraiya was dead.

I sighed, and Hinata instinctively cuddled closer as we lay on the grass of the training field. It was sunny that day, a counterweight to dismal thoughts. (In fact, Hinata herself was a counterweight, and the sunshine only enhanced this.)

I would have to leave—_again_—soon. To go train with the Toads. Neither of us was too worried, though. There was no fear for one another's life with this separation. All was calm. Everything was good. (Well, everything, if you round up. It was really more like everything was 92 percent good, but still.)

I finally understood my brother's strong sense of loss. There was a constant, sharp pain that radiated from the space in my heart that the Pervy Sage had once occupied. Sasuke wouldn't be able to say that I didn't know loss anymore. There was that. There was rage, too, and a thirst for vengeance. There were moments when it was blinding, and I could practically understand how these dark emotions had consumed my brother's life and stolen his heart.

But I had something that my brother never seemed to be able to recognize. I had the love of a wonderful girl. I had a village full of friends. I had a teacher…a father-figure who recognized my pain and bore it with me. I had people who cared for me.

Sasuke had had all that, too, though. The wonderful girl, the friends, the teacher who cared a little bit too much about him. But he couldn't recognize what he had—he focused too much on what he _didn't _have. And so he'd left.

I wouldn't let that happen to me. I would be grateful for who I had left. I would probably still mutilate the bastard that killed my Sage, but it wouldn't rule my life. I couldn't allow it to.

I had my arm around what I _did _want to rule my life, and her head was on my shoulder. Except for the crappy 8 percent, life really was good.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

I was approaching sleep when I heard Naruto-kun sigh and reach up to stroke my face. I'd had a cosmetic healer go to work on my face, removing the scar and closing the hole in my ear. Since then, Naruto touched my face a lot more often. The newly-healed skin was softer than the rest, he said. Why not enjoy it?

"You wanna know something?" he murmured.

"Sure," I breathed against his jacket, eyes still closed.

"I'm really glad I have you around," he told me in a low, husky voice, turning his head just a little to brush his lips against my forehead. "I know I'm a little dense sometimes, and not always really quick on the uptake, but I think you should know…"

"You're not dense, N-Naruto-kun." Not _really_, I amended silently.

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Yeah, well, that's your opinion." He didn't say any more for a minute, and I vaguely regretted interrupting whatever it had been he was going to say. I was going to ask him to keep talking, but he obliged me without making me open my mouth. "But do you wanna know something else?"

"Yes."

"It's just…well, it's just I'm going away again soon, and before I do, I think you should know…that I love you."

I gasped at that, my mind swimming with sudden, dizzying euphoria, and he took the opportunity to cover my open mouth with his. I thought that perhaps I should say something in reply to his unexpected confession, but my heart had taken control of my body, and my mind could do nothing to make my lips move in any other way than in the kissing fashion. I was just _happy_, and I figured I couldn't have put that in words very efficiently at the moment, anyway.

Though, at one point when his lips had moved momentarily to the corner of my jaw, I managed to feebly gasp out, "I'm—really glad I—have you around—too."

--

He left again, and I didn't cry as we said our goodbyes. I saw him to the Gates, let him kiss me, and watched with an encouraging smile as he and the toads vanished. He didn't bother telling me not to worry. Just said, "I'll miss you, love you, bye!" and disappeared.

I stood rather still for a good two minutes afterwards, wallowing in the sudden loneliness but reveling in the words he'd left me. In the week between today and his first confession, he'd made a point of telling me he loved me at nearly every single opportunity. It was as if he was trying to make up for lost time or something. Or maybe he only said it because it made me blush and smile and kiss him.

Either way, it was _so _good to hear. I hadn't ever really registered it while he was here, but now that he was gone, the reality finally dawned upon me. And it made me want to cry my soul out. Everything I'd ever wanted was _mine._ It was more than I deserved. He was too good. But he _loved me_, so who was I to question it? _Oh god, _he _loved _me.

I finally did cry then, crumpling to my knees at the Gates. Happy, warm, cleansing tears streaked down my cheeks, stained my soul from the outside-in, and I _felt _my heart glow. I was so lucky. I was so happy. I was willing to do anything to repay him for the gift of his love, and for the overwhelming, soul-touching joy that consumed me in that moment.

And I sobbed. It was all I could do. And it was enough.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

I discovered that time also flies when you're working your butt off, getting yelled at by frogs, missing the aforementioned wonderful girl, and eating bugs. Time doesn't fly as happily, but fly it does. I quickly learned what the toads wanted to teach me, fueled by the desire to make my Sage proud, and to go home soon.

It turns out that, while I was off in the mountains and flying with time, the home I was so eager to go back to was going to Hell in a handbasket.

_This is what I get for not worrying,_ I decided as I looked around the crater that was once the center of Konoha. _This is what I get for leaving._

There was a scent of death in the air, a scent of pain. I tried to sense my friends' chakra with this new ability the Toads had given me, but I couldn't tell the difference between them all in the midst of all the destruction and confusion.

My heart clenched, almost stopped. My home…friends…gone.

I didn't think. It was time to fight.

--

This Pain guy was a _bastard._

Skewering me to the ground.

The _hell._

_Bastard._

Pain, my _ass. _Or, pain _in _my ass. This guy wasn't hurt. He only hurt others. Killed the Pervy Sage, blew up my village. I was gonna _kill _him.

Maybe if I glared hard enough at him from the ground, he wouldn't stab my head with that stake-thing of his. Best-case scenario. My glare hardened.

But he was going to kill me, and I really didn't want to watch. I broke the glare and closed my eyes for the briefest moments as he moved to plunge his final stake into me…

And then there was a loud "_Oh no, you don't!" _and I was momentarily saved. I opened my eyes to see Pain jump back to get out of the way of my savior, and I almost smiled with relief, but then I saw who it was that had put themselves between me and Pain.

_Shit. _Worst-case scenario.

Hinata had decided to save me.

Hinata, my wonderful, brave _stupid _girlfriend, had put herself between me and Certain Fucking Death. Which _put her_ _closer _to certain death.

It was too much. This guy had killed Jiraiya. He'd almost killed me. He would kill Hinata. She was no match. This was too much.

"HINATA!! WHAT THE _HELL _DO YOU THINK YOU'RE _DOING?!"_

She looked very strong as she stood in front of me, standing up perfectly straight, her gaze never moving from her adversary. "Don't be mad," I heard her reply, not looking at me. She was only a few feet in front of me. I could hear her perfectly. I wished suddenly that I _couldn't _hear her. She sounded too calm. What if she—she couldn't—there was no way she would—_she'd better not fucking die!!_

"I AM mad!! I'm FURIOUS. Get out of the way!! You're not match! He'll kill you!!"

The wind blew then, making her hair flare out behind her, like some sort of vengeful goddess was lending power to what could be Hinata's last stand. She sank into a vague, loose fighting stance. "I told you, Naruto. I have to help you with this Akatsuki mess. It's too much for just you to carry. If that means fighting in your place…"

"_SCREW_ HELPING ME!!"

"…then that's what I'm going to do." Then, something seemed to occur to her. Never taking her eyes off of Pain, she backed up until she was next to me, and she knelt down and started pulling the stakes out of my body. I hissed and writhed in pain and confusion, but allowed her to keep at it. Pain watched us from across the crater, seeming oddly patient.

Even when the stakes were out of my body, I could barely move. I was bleeding profusely. She put a hand on my back.

"Give the kyuubi time to heal you before you start to fight again," she whispered.

"Glad you've come to your senses," I growled, hoping she would take the hint and leave.

I heard her sigh. "Nothing's changed. I'm still going to buy you time." She laughed mournfully. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. This isn't the first time I've run headlong into death for you."

"It was stupid the first time, too."

She wasn't listening. She rubbed my back. She was somewhere else. Her voice was low and serious. I could tell that she was planning something as she spoke. "Naruto, please understand that I have to do what I can to help you. I'm not afraid to die protecting you. You know that. I love you."

I tried to will my arms into moving, but they remained heavily on the ground. A small, traitorous part of me had to admit that if she left now, I would be dead meat. That didn't seem to matter so much right then. "Please," I outright begged. "_Don't."_

"He'll kill you if I don't distract him. I'm sorry." She did sound sorry then, and I thought I saw tears glistening off her cheeks.

"But I—_I love you._ If you _die, _how will I—"

"You have no idea how happy I am right now," she interrupted. She met my gaze for one moment, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop her. "You know, once, the thought of death would have made me start crying uncontrollably. I used to cry _a lot_, you know." She ran a hand through my hair, slowly. "You've made me a better person, N-Naruto-kun. Your smile saved me from becoming something dark and shameful. You have my eternal gratitude, and all the love I could possibly offer."

I didn't know how to respond to all that, so I just nodded. "Don't you dare die," I replied simply.

"You, either."

She smiled, and she looked like an angel.

And then she was running away from me, and I was able to move just enough of my arm to reach vainly out for her. I screamed soundlessly after her, but there was no stopping her. She was always going to do what she was always going to do.

So I prayed.

* * *

**Hinata POV**

I really _was _no match. But that didn't matter to me. He'd done so much to hurt Naruto. It was unforgivable.

I lashed out at him, aiming for his heart but settling for a long. He replied to my attack with a sudden burst of tangible energy, which pushed me back with such strength that I fell right off my feet. I hit my head _hard _on a rock, and kept from blacking out only long enough to watch the bastard lift his spear to stab me, and then the pain was so intense that I _couldn't _black out.

I screamed.

Naruto screamed.

I was at an angle so I could see him. Except, I couldn't see _him_. I saw an enraged Beast, and tears escaped my eyes.

No, no, _no! _The last thing I wanted was for him to turn into _that_, especially while his real body was so hurt. He would kill himself and everyone in Konoha if he didn't calm down. Couldn't he sense that I was still alive, watching him? Didn't he see?

No…he couldn't see me. He couldn't see anything. The Beast was consuming him, and there was _absolutely nothing _I could do. I couldn't run to save him this time. I felt the warm wetness of my blood soaking my clothes. I sobbed silently, watched the beautiful, horrible beast, and finally fainted.

--

The next time I opened my eyes—and I was _quite _surprised that I was alive—I was looking up at a distinctly annoyed pair of green eyes.

"You're an idiot," Sakura-san informed me, transcending all greeting. "No, really, next time you decide to sacrifice yourself for Naruto-baka, I'm _leaving _your ass on the battlefield."

She sounded immensely relieved, though, and she hugged me briefly.

"W-where's Naruto?" I asked, and I knew instantly that she was rolling her eyes. "I mean—erm—thank you for saving me, Sakura. I'm sorry."

She sighed. "I guess I would have done the same thing for Lee. But that excuse is going to get old soon," she added, sending a playful glare her boyfriend's way. She laid me back out on the stone, shaking her head. "Don't move too much." I think I heard her mutter, "Frickin' déjà vu," but I wasn't sure what she meant. I closed my eyes.

"Where did you say Naruto-kun was?"

She grunted and brushed a sweaty lock of hair out of my face. "I didn't say. You know Naruto; he can't stay in one place for very long."

"Where did he _go?_" I didn't want to be rude to the person who had saved my life, but I was getting nervous and impatient. I was vaguely aware of a sharp pain near my abdomen.

"Okay, so get this: the orange-haired ninjas were _zombies_. And Naruto knows where to find the guy controlling the zombies. So that's where he went. To kill him, I guess."

I took a deep breath. "Is he…okay?"

She rubbed my arm consolingly. "I think so. I think you really scared him, though."

"I only wanted to h-help."

She suddenly sounded a little angry, but concerned as well, like a tired parent chiding a frequently misbehaving child. "Oh, c'mon. Do you think it would have helped him _at all_ if you had _died?_ _God_, does everyone in the world have a self-sacrifice complex?? You, Lee-kun, Naruto. Seriously? Doesn't help anything! Just makes people sad and vengeful. We are _so _lucky he knows you're alive."

"He does?" I opened my eyes.

"He's got a little slug with him," she explained, picking up a different little slug and showing it to me. "They can sense an individual's life-force. Slug sensed yours, tells Naruto you were alive, and Naruto gets his head back in the game." She shrugged. "Or, so says _my _little slug."

My eyes closed again. I was tired. It was hot. It was autumn, but it was hot. Sakura-san was obviously tired, too, because she was rambling just a bit. The pain in my gut flared suddenly, and I whined.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep," she said at that point, lifting my head and sliding someone's folded flak-jacket under my head as a pillow. She then covered my torso with my jacket, which I hadn't realized had been removed.

I felt a little bad for saying, "I don't think I could sleep."

She waved a distinctly dismissive hand. "I wasn't really _asking. _I was going to put you under. You kind of still have a gaping hole in your gut that I really need to keep working on. You woke up while I was working. Okay?"

I didn't have time to reply before she touched my temple with a glowing green fingertip, and there was blackness.

* * *

**Naruto POV**

I was feeling decidedly drained. I hadn't done a lot of fighting since my furious explosion, but I had had to watch a man die. I'd been robbed of vengeance for all the man had stolen from me. I'd had to really _look _at my destroyed village. I'd had to see the extent of the damage that had been done by the person that I had not been able to hurt.

A little piece of that damage lay on a stiff hospital bed, in a deep sleep that just had to be medically-induced. Her arm was hooked to an IV, and her breathing was deep and even. The familiar, steady pulsing of the heart-monitor was oddly comforting. I'd been in the hospital enough times that it didn't unnerve me anymore. At least we had our heartbeats to count on…

(Alright, so the hospital had been destroyed and this was really just a wooden copy that Yamato had created, but it was functioning and still full of med nins, so I guess nothing really changed around here, did it?)

I held Hinata's hand firmly in both of mine. I knew that these minutes with her would be the last I got in a long time. The destruction of Konoha had changed a lot. Tsunade had been usurped, replaced, and now there was a bounty on my brother's head. I would have to leave. There was no rest for me. I didn't know how on Earth I would be able to keep a relationship going.

I would make it keep going, though. There was no way I was letting go of her now. I'd been so sure she was dead today that I'd taken back my promise not to go any farther than Two or Three Tails, and I'd caused even more destruction to my home because of it. (I prayed to God that _I _wasn't the one who'd destroyed the ramen shop.) I could not allow something like that happen again. If I lost her, if somehow we grew apart and she no longer loved me, I would not be able to go on. Hopes of being Hokage and saving my brother would be lost from along with her.

So I squeezed her hand, and murmured, "_Please_, Hinata. Wake up. I need you here with _me_ right now."

She responded almost immediately, even in her unconscious state. She'd do anything I asked, ever. Her breath hitched and her fingers twitched inside mine. Her eyes crinkled, opened a few millimeters, closed for a second, and then she turned to meet my gaze full-on. She smiled, and the angel was back.

I smiled back, but I could tell that it didn't reach my eyes. I was so tired. "I am so pissed off at you," I said, but the words were soft and warm.

She nodded weakly, and I suddenly felt bad for not saying something a little kinder. She hadn't had the luxury of dying and coming back to life at full-strength. She'd had to _live _through it all. She was so strong.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry."

"You're only sorry I'm angry. If you were _really _sorry, you wouldn't have done it in the first place."

She nodded again. "I know. You're r-right. I'd do it again tomorrow if I had to." She smiled crookedly, her face squishing up against the stiff pillow.

It was my turn to nod. "I know. And that's what pisses me off."

But I leaned forward to brush the softest of kisses against her mouth, and we both knew all was forgiven.

"You are _so brave_, Hinata. I am—there are no words for how I feel right now. It is _an honor _to be loved by you." My lips moved to her forehead. "I—I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't—"

"You would have died," she informed me, a hand reaching up to caress the side of my neck.

I leaned back to give her a sheepish grin. "Hey, you don't know that. Maybe I had a game plan."

She seemed to be so tired that she had no control over the sarcasm that flowed out of her lips. "What were you going to do, N-Naruto-kun? Glare him to death?"

I flushed. "It might have worked."

"I didn't want to risk finding out if it would or not."

I kissed her cheek. "I know."

"I love you, Naruto-kun."

I kissed her eyelids. "I love you, too, Hinata." I paused. "Thank you. For saving my life."

She giggled softly. "Anytime."

I groaned, and she just laughed, and everything was good again for a few short moments. I would have to tell her about sneaking off after the new so-called 'Hokage', and I would have to tell her about the bounty on Sasuke's head, and I would have to tell her goodbye again after such a long time.

But for now, things were good. For a brief moment of clarity, I could practically see the future. Not the near, devastating, frightening future. No, I could see a bit farther down the line. I could see myself beside her for the rest of my life. I could see us getting married. I could see me standing in Hokage robes, with her just behind me in a matching orange-flamed kimono, her finger crooked in front of her shy, proud smile. I could see us shopping for diapers, and debating whether or not we should spring for the organic baby-food. _(It'll taste like peas either way!/ The organic'll be good for the baby!)_ I could see us having long, happy lives together.

I liked what I saw.

There are many choices in life, little turns that one can or can't take, and the effects can be minimal or life-changing. I knew that I hadn't made all the right decisions in life, that there were things I could have done better. But, as I playfully kissed all the parts of Hinata's face other than her mouth, I was happy with the path I'd chosen.

I knew that I had had other options in life. I could have gone down Gaara's original path, killing all in sight for no other reason than that they didn't love me like they should. I could have gone down Sasuke's path, blocking out feeling altogether and not allowing anyone to get too close just because I thought they couldn't understand me. I could have defected from Konoha right after Sasuke had, forsaking all my more faithful friends in order to track down my lost one.

Even more recently, I could have been selfish and tried to break up Bushy-Brow and Sakura. I could have refused to let her go. I could have let my unrequited love for Sakura fester inside my chest. I could have ignored the fact that Hinata had nearly given herself for me when I'd gone Four Tails.

I could have done so many things differently, but, thinking back, none of those options would have brought me to the wonderful girl who blushed and laughed with me and was willing to _give her life _forme. So, I didn't want any of those options. Life was good the way it was.

**Fin.**

* * *

**(A/N #2) Well, there you go, folks. I think we're at the end. I'll write and epilouge, probably, but if I don't, I hope you guys like the ending! Definitely not as cheesy as my ending to Saturday and Breathing...right? Sure, I still made sure to use the title of the fanficcy in the last paragraph, but that's just tradition. _((smiles)) _**

**Anyway. I'd like to thank everyone who's ever reviewed. You guys are why I starting writing this whole darn thing a year ago, and I can't tell you how much your support has helped me in completing this (hell of a big) project. I'd like to give each and every one of you a nice big Cyber Hug.**

**Much love,  
Miyazaki A2**


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